One Take Only
by NewHamsterdam
Summary: Kyoko finds herself in a challenging situation when a certain someone makes a guest appearance on Box "R" and forces her to deal with unwelcome and overwhelming feelings.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! This is a fanfiction. Obviously.**

The director…was late.

The entire cast of _Box "R_" was on-set, in full costume and makeup, ready to shoot the final scenes of the episode they'd been working on for the last week and a half, and the director had yet to make an appearance. They were already an hour behind schedule.

_Did something happen?_ Mogami Kyoko wondered, worried. Even though Director Annaka was by far the most lenient—one might even say careless—director she'd ever worked for, he had never just not shown up. _Maybe there was an accident?_

To her right, Amamiya Chiori was struggling to maintain the "cute girl" front she always used in polite company. The muscles in her face were twitching as she fought to keep a tolerant smile on her face, and she was itching to go back to her dressing room and vent her feelings into one of her poison notebooks.

_Do you think we have nothing better to do than to stand around waiting for you to show up? Just because I don't have any other steady work besides this job yet-! This kind of director makes me sick!_

"He's here!" One of the stage crew called out, coming in from the parking lot. "His car just rolled up."

The assistant director heaved a sigh of relief. He had just spent the last half hour reassuring the cast and their various managers and calling the director's cell phone as often as possible, and he was more than happy to relinquish his responsibilities. "Okay, why don't we have makeup do a quick check to see if anybody needs a touch-up, and then we should meet back here to start rolling on scene 52."

Director Annaka strolled in with a very self-satisfied smirk on his face. When his entrance was met with glares from a number of managers, who could afford to be more upfront about their feelings than the actors they worked for, he coughed, and schooled his expression into something more apologetic.

"Ahem," he said. "I apologize for the delay in filming today. I received news this morning that a meeting I'd been hoping for had been confirmed, but only for a limited window of time. I wasn't sure how long it would take, and I'm afraid I had to turn off my phone once I entered the meeting." He smiled in what he seemed to think was a soothing manner. "But I'm here now, and once we've wrapped for the day I have a very exciting announcement for everyone!"

And with that, he strolled over to the set and plopped into his chair, whistling all the way.

_After we've wrapped? And just whose fault is it that we're behind schedule?_ Chiori screamed internally.

Kyoko, whose demons were of a similar opinion, simply sighed. _At least he's okay._

* * *

After several hours of girl-on-girl bullying, Kyoko and company were finally given the okay to stand down. Although her character, Natsu, had been having the time of her life, Kyoko was relieved. The current storyline was taking a particularly dark turn, and it was starting to wear on her.

All season, Natsu and the other girls in her group had been bullying a number of different girls, among them the lead character, Chitose. But recently, as they started to ramp up the action leading into the season finale, Natsu was focusing more and more of her attention on just Chitose. The episode they had just finished filming centered around the group pressuring Chitose's friends to stop spending time with her, effectively isolating her from everyone in the class. Of course, some of the girls resisted at first, but the final scene involved them cornering the last of Chitose's friends and breaking her once and for all.

Of course, it made for a very impactful episode, but it was seriously depressing, and what's worse, it made Kyoko remember her own solitary school life. Even those that might not have cared that she was close to Shotaro (a demon popped up from her shoulder, but she patted it back into place) didn't dare befriend her when she was the target of so many bullies. She wished, just once, that she could play a _nice_ girl. Not necessarily the main protagonist, just someone sweet—someone who _didn't_ take pleasure in forcing a girl to betray her closest friend. She sighed.

"Something wrong?" Chiori asked curiously, interrupting her thoughts.

"Ah, no," she shook her head. _I should be glad just to have this job! _She reminded herself. _I can't be so picky._

"Well, it seems the director is ready to give his announcement," she said, pointing at the lunch area where everyone was gathering.

"Oh, thanks," she said with a quick smile. _What now?_

"As you may know, " the director began once all the cast and crew had been assembled, "we've been having some trouble finding the actor to play Chitose's love interest in the upcoming arc. Although we had a number of talented actors audition, so far we haven't found anyone who fits the image we're looking for.

"Well, thanks to the meeting I had this morning, we've finally got ourselves a 'Sagara-sempai,'" he said proudly. "He's a perfect fit for the role, and he agreed to do it even though he's extremely busy at the moment." He stopped, looking around at everyone expectantly. They stared silently back at him. His face fell as realized no one was going to ask him about what had happened that morning, or about who the actor in question was. It had been a full day of filming, and no one was in a particularly curious mood.

Sullenly, he continued, "that said, he'll be tied up with work starting the week after next, so we're moving up filming on this season's final episode to next week. We'll be starting to rehearse on Monday. Luckily, since summer break has started for those of you still in school, we should be able to get all the scenes he'll be involved in filmed within that time frame."

"Um, but…" Rumi, the lead actress, said, "we haven't gotten the pages for that episode yet."

"And we weren't due to film that episode for another three weeks!" Chiori said under her breath. "Just how busy could this guy be?"

"Oh, that," the director waved carelessly to the crew member in charge of scripts, who, looking rather flustered, began distributing packets to the various cast members. "I know it's a little sudden, but I'm counting on you as _professionals_," he stressed, "to be fully prepared and ready for rehearsal on Monday. We're going to be on a really tight schedule, so we can't afford any delays."

Chiori practically burst into flames at this pronouncement. _Us cause delays?!_

As the worker tried to hand Kyoko her script, it slipped out of his hands and fell open on the floor in front of her. He apologized profusely, but she assured him everything was fine, and bent to pick it up, her eyes happened to fall on the page to which the script had opened. What she saw there made her straighten up so suddenly that she barely missed knocking heads with the crew member who was still bowing his apologies.

"Excuse me, Director?" Her hand shot up, ramrod stiff, and her face darkened. The director looked at her oddly, wondering what could have caused her to scowl like that, then said, "Er-yes, Kyouko-chan?"

"If this 'Sagara' guy is supposed to be Chitose's love interest, " she demanded, "why is Natsu the one kissing him?!"

**Reviews are appreciated, so please let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Mo, so what's so important that I had to come all the way here?" Kotonami Kanae demanded. "If it's just an acting problem, we could have talked about it in the Love Me Department. Or better yet, over the phone." She glared at her self-proclaimed best friend, who had insisted on meeting in a karaoke box for secrecy purposes. She was half-convinced it was just a ploy to spend time together.

"No, Moko-san," Kyoko said, shaking her head dejectedly. "It's…worse than an acting problem." Sorrowful tears pooled in her eyes, and she clasped her hands together as if in prayer. "It's the worse thing that could possibly happen to anyone, ever."

"Stop being so overdramatic," Kanae snapped irritably. "Just tell me what happened. And stop slouching!"

Kyoko sat up obediently, and launched into a breathless account of what had taken place on set that day.

"…And then I saw the script and it says that Natsu—my character, I mean—has to kiss this guest character and when I wanted to know why it turns out I—Natsu, I mean—have to steal the main character's love interest and kiss him in front of her so that she feels like she's all alone in the world and like I've taken everything from her and Moko-san _I don't know the first thing about kissing_!"

"So that's it," her friend said finally, tired herself just from listening. "What's to know? You put your lips up against his lips. Didn't you learn about it in acting class?"

Kyoko shook her head. "These days I'm lucky to get to class once a month," she said sadly, thinking of all the money she had spent on something she hardly went to. "And anyway it's more than that, see?" She pulled out the script and opened it to a dog-eared page, pointing to the offending line of direction:

"_NATSU, noticing CHITOSE'S presence, pulls SAGARA in for a long, sensuous kiss."_

"Long and sensuous, Moko-san! An adult-type kiss! And knowing Nacchan, probably even a" she shuddered "DEEP kiss. Plus, she's the one who has to initiate it!"

"Huh," Kanae said, choosing to ignore the fact that Kyoko had a nickname for her own character, "That could be a problem. Girls usually just have to be kissed, not the other way around. And tongue-kisses can be disgusting when done wrong," she said, thinking back to the annoying couples she had followed when researching for her side job. "Even I haven't learned how to that yet, and I've been studying acting for way longer than you have." _Not that you'd know it from watching her act, _she thought, mildly irked.

"RIGHT?" Kyoko said. "What do I do?!"

"Well, you need to learn how to kiss someone," she said matter-of-factly. "Go to the acting school and ask for special tutoring or something."

"But Moko-san, I only have two days!" She half-cried. "And the school isn't in session over the weekend!"

"Did you discuss this with the director? Tell him you can't do it? Maybe he'll give you extra time to…y'know, get some practice in."

Kyoko flushed. "But…well…I can't just say, 'I can't do it,' when I'm supposed to be a professional," she said quietly, remembering the director's announcement regarding the upcoming filming. "And besides, we only have about four full days with this…" she flinched, "guest actor. I have to show up completely prepared on Monday. We can't afford any delays."

"Professional or not, you have to be able to say when you need help with doing something," she pointed out. "If they were asking you to perform a stunt or play an instrument it would be the same thing, and you could just ask for the kiss scene to be one of the later ones—" Suddenly something registered. That flinch.

Kyoko was caught up in her own world of despair, so it took her a moment to realize the temperature in the room had dropped considerably. She looked up at her friend and saw the dark, angry face of a demon.

"You're hiding something from me!"

Kyoko flung herself to the floor in a dogeza and cried, "I'm sorry, Moko-san! Really! I didn't mean to! It's just…"

"Tell me!" She ordered.

A minute later, both girls were seated at the table once again, and Kanae was glaring expectantly at a shamefaced Kyoko.

"So?" She prodded.

"I was going to tell you," Kyoko asserted. "I just…it's so awful, and I don't even know what to do about the kiss in the first place, so who it is doesn't matter so much, I thought…"

"Just spit it out."

"Fuwa Sho," she said finally. "I have to kiss Fuwa Sho."

Kanae burst out laughing.

Suddenly, their roles were reversed as Kyoko scowled angrily at her best friend.

"It's not funny!" She yelled.

"I—I'm sorry," Kanae said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "It's not…funny, but…I mean, he's not even an actor. How? How does this keep happening to you? With the PV, it's understandable, but how does he end up with a guest spot on your drama?" She giggled.

Kyoko tried to keep her glower in place, but couldn't. "It's stupid, isn't it?" she admitted, with a weak chuckle. "I keep trying to distance myself from him, and all that happens is he ends up right back in my life. He was Bridge Rock's first guest, he was at TBM when I went there for Japponet Scoop, then in Karuizawa when I went to film on location… then he shows up on the Dark Moon set on Valentine's Day. I couldn't even escape him when I was working at a gas station. It's like we're tied together by some cruel, unbreakable string of fate. " She sat back on her heels, face suddenly thoughtful. "That's probably it. Valentine's Day," she said with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Kanae asked.

"You know, when he stole my first kiss? Now the bastard probably sees this as an opportunity to screw with me even more by taking my first onscreen kiss, too." She clenched her fists. "I can just imagine him rolling around on the ground, laughing his ass off, thinking about how much I don't wanna kiss him and knowing I can't refuse." She growled. "And he probably thinks it's hilarious that I'm supposed to seduce him when I'm just this plain, boring girl who wouldn't know the meaning of sensuous if –"

"You never told me he stole your first kiss," Kanae accused her. "You just told me Tsuruga Ren was 'overly thankful!'"

Kyoko looked at her, surprised. "I didn't?"

"Mo! We're supposed to be friends, and you never tell me about these things!" She said, trying to mask her hurt feelings with another glare. Tsuruga Ren would know about it, of course—it had been _his_ drama they were filming.

"Sorry, sorry," she said mildly, with a flap of her hand, "it's not…important, that's all. I would tell you if it's something important."

"Your first kiss isn't important?" Kanae asked, incredulous.

"Well, it wasn't really my first kiss," she explained. "It was more like…an anteater siphoning off food. I completely forgot about it afterward, I promise," she said, flushing as she thought of what had happened later on that day.

"An anteater…?" Kanae echoed. _Is Fuwa Sho that bad a kisser? _"Well if it wasn't a big deal then, then why is it a big deal now? You've worked with the guy before without killing him."

_Barely, _Kyoko thought. "This is different! First of all, _I _have to kiss _him! _And pretend I like him! And not just for a four-minute PV, for a whole _extended _season finale episode of a drama!" She stood up, one leg on the table, demons flaring up around her.

"Not to mention he's probably not a very good actor," Kanae pointed out. "Which mean it'll take twice as long as usual." In that respect, Kanae wasn't even slightly envious. Having to work with a complete amateur was the worst. "What was your director thinking?"

Kyoko's rage deflated, and she sighed. "Apparently, he thought it would be a good idea to have a sort of…cross-promotional setup. He approached Akatoki weeks ago about having Shotaro do an original song for the season finale episode, with a promise that he'll air the premiere of the corresponding PV directly after the episode. _Box "R" _is first in its time slot and third overall for the season," she said with a sudden burst of pride, then allowed, "mostly because of how popular Maruyama Marumi is, and Shotaro's got about a gajillion fans. It would be good exposure for both the show and him. Supposedly it's not that uncommon," she said.

"But Shotaro, being the egotistical, self-serving bastard that he is, didn't answer the offer until this morning, and insisted he be given an opportunity to act on the show in addition to airing his PV. And my director just…agreed. Since the character actually fits really well with Sho's public persona, he'll 'hardly even have to act,' he says, and…"

"He figures the hype from having Fuwa Sho in the episode will help the ratings?" Kanae suggested.

Kyoko nodded. "He's the type to pick an actor for their image just as much as for their actual talent," she said, thinking pack to her own recruitment. All that had mattered then was that she was scary; all that mattered now was that Sho was cool.

"That…sucks," Kanae said. "All the work we go through to improve as actors, and he just has to throw a tantrum to get a prominent role."

"Worse, he's probably only doing it to spite me," she responded. "He doesn't have the slightest interest in acting."

"Tch." Her friend clicked her tongue thoughtfully, looking for a solution. She would have to kiss him, that much was clear. No matter how much of a jerk someone was, a professional actress couldn't refuse to work with someone. Especially not someone as famous as Fuwa Sho, who'd been brought in specially by the director. But to not know _how_ to kiss him! It would be humiliating! And as the experienced one, it would be _her_ fault if something went wrong. It killed her to think that someone like him, who didn't take responsibility for anything he did, could just waltz in and ruin her friend's life all over again.

There was one option she could think of, but…she was loath to suggest anything that would help _that _man. _Still…_She realized that Kyoko was still talking.

"—just the sort of thing he'd do, too. I mean, he bribed one of the girls at my school to keep track of when I showed up," Kyoko continued, "All so he could yell at me for how I was dressed at the Dark Moon party! Some nonsense about letting men give me clothes leading to those clothes being taken off…"

A vein throbbed in Kanae's head. This bastard…doing whatever he wants, and then trying to give her advice about her love life? As if he had any right-?

"You know what?" she said, making her decision in favor of what was definitely the lesser of two evils, "I think I have an idea."

**A/N: Thanks for the alerts, favorites and reviews! And good job on those of you who noticed the "sempai" clue. Ren, who's played a high school teacher before, could hardly play one of Natsu's upperclassmen. Don't worry, though, Kanae's idea is a good one.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Quick warning: this story is meant to take place sometime after the events of the arc in Guam, so if you're not up-to-date with the manga it may contain *SPOILERS* from this chapter on.**

**We now return to our program in progress:**

"Ask Tsuruga Ren to teach you," she said triumphantly. "He's helped you before, right?"

"Ts-Ts-Tsuruga-san? Ask _him_?" Kyoko turned bright red. "I couldn't! I can't!"

"Do you want to lose to Fuwa Sho?" Kanae asked.

"Of _course _not!" She said quickly. "It's just…asking Tsuruga-san something like that…for him to kiss someone he doesn't even care about!"

"Mo! He's an actor! He kisses women he doesn't care about for a living!" She shot back. _Not to mention he's totally in love with you, _she thought, frustrated. "He's experienced, which means he can help you with technique, and he's a guy, which means he knows how to initiate a kiss, plus he can help you figure out the height difference issue." _And he'll love every minute of it. I hate helping the enemy, but he's the best man for the job, and I know he'll say yes._

"Height difference? Technique?" She sputtered. _Who knew kissing could be so confusing? _"Couldn't I just…research it? You can find tutorials on anything online," she reasoned.

"Knowing how to do it in theory and actually doing it are different things," Kanae said. "Just because you've read instructions on how to do something, it doesn't mean you can actually do it without practicing beforehand."

"But—I…" she twiddled her fingers shyly, avoiding Kanae's gaze. "Well, I don't want Tsuruga-san to know about this."

"Why not?" She asked, one eyebrow raised.

"He really doesn't like Fuwa Sho," she explained. "And if he knew I was going to kiss him—" _The actor's "rule of heart" would be in play, true, but this is Shotaro, after all. Even if it's just an act, for him to know that I was kissing my most hated enemy...  
_

"You realize this is going to be on TV, right?" Kanae said.

"Wh-what?" Kyoko asked, startled by the odd question. "Of course."

"And it'll be Fuwa Sho's first acting role? Even more, Fuwa Sho's first onscreen kiss? What do you think's gonna happen?"

Kyouko's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "You...you're right!" She whimpered. "It'll be all over the entertainment news! Talk shows will be begging to interview him!" _And me, too, probably,_ she realized. _For the inside scoop on "kissing Fuwa Sho." _She shuddered. "There's no way he won't find out!"

"So, it would be better if you told him yourself first, right?" Kanae said, coaxing her along.

"Well, yes…" she admitted. "I have to tell him, as soon as possible, but…as for teaching me to kiss, I just don't know."

"Okay. It's your choice," her friend responded, with a lofty tone that said she was washing her hands of the whole thing. "Go do your research, show up on set without any practical experience, and see what happens. Just remember that when you keep getting NG'ed, you'll have to kiss Fuwa Sho…over and over again."

All the color drained from Kyoko's face, and Kanae could even swear there were cracks splitting across her skin. In her most dramatic fashion, she screamed, "Nooooooooooo!"

"Then I guess the decision is made." Kanae said with a grim smile. "Now, get up, get on the phone and tell Tsuruga Ren you need his help."

* * *

With a sigh, Kyoko stepped out into the hallway, staring at her cell phone. Her contact list was open, with Tsuruga-san's name and information highlighted.

Of course, it would a lie to say that this brilliant idea of Kanae's hadn't occurred to Kyoko already. It was, in fact, one of the first things she thought of. Tsuruga-san had been there for her whenever she'd had trouble before, after all, and as confusing as his stance on her kissing people was, even he would see the necessity for her, as an actress, to learn how to properly kiss someone. But she had dismissed it in the hopes that Kanae would come up with something better—or at least, something safer. She wouldn't be able to hide behind a character this time—not like she had with Setsu, and not like she had with that priestess she'd made up on the spot. She would have to, as Kyoko, ask Ren to kiss her. The thought both thrilled and terrified her.

If they kissed, and she was just her, it might mean the end of her secret feelings. He would find out that she loved him, how helpless she was, that she'd fallen back into the pit that had almost destroyed her the first time around. And he would hate her for it.

Even if he didn't figure out what she was hiding…it was dangerous, to let herself touch what she wanted most. Just that one moment of real, uncontrollable happiness might be enough to send her over the edge. He might not have to figure it out; she might just tell him.

But…to let Fuwa Sho have another victory. To let him insinuate himself into her life over and over, to let him beat her on her own turf! She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let him continue to toy with her like that. And Moko-san was right; Tsuruga-san was her best chance. She had to at least try.

So. That was that. She took a deep, decisive breath and hit send.

_Besides_, a small part of her whispered, _it would be really nice to kiss Tsuruga-san._

* * *

The next night, she made her way over to Tsuruga Ren's apartment complex and knocked on the familiar door.

"Ah, Mogami-san. Please come in."

Kyoko bowed. "I'm sorry to trouble you."

Ren smiled, gesturing for her to sit on the couch. "It's no trouble. I'm glad to be of help."

"You may not think that after I tell you what I need help with," she said sadly.

"Well, you were pretty tight-lipped about it on the phone," he allowed, "but if there's anything I can do, I will."

"It's about a kiss," she said suddenly.

Ren froze. "A kiss?" he said, trying to hide his nervousness. _Did she figure it out? _

"Yes. I …have to kiss someone." When she saw how he looked at her, she clarified, "for work. I have to kiss someone as part of my role on _Box "R"."_

"The bully?" He asked, surprised. From what he knew about it, it wasn't exactly a romantic role. It came as something of a shock; he thought it would be a long time before she would have to have an onscreen kiss. He'd even hoped, somewhere in the back of his mind, that it might be with him. But…_well, you knew it would happen someday_, he said to himself, trying to keep his face as calm as possible. _It's her job._

She nodded, and explained in as flat a voice a possible, "I'm basically supposed to be seducing this guy away from a girl I'm messing with. I've seen enough flirting in real life to know how to seem flirtatious, but a kiss is a little outside of my comfort zone. Plus," she muttered under her breath, flushed, "it has to be 'sensuous'—which I think is code for 'with tongue'." She glanced up at Ren's face, half-expecting to see him disgusted at the idea. Instead, he just seemed…thoughtful.

What she couldn't know was that there was a war being waged inside Tsuruga Ren's head. True, for her to so tamely ask for his help meant she probably didn't see him as a man, but-_I could kiss her. She's even _asking_ me to. No one would blame me. But—it's dangerous. What if she realizes it's more than practice for me? What if I get carried away and she despises me for it?_ _Or-__what if she realizes I'm Corn? _He shook his head. _No, she wouldn't figure it out. It would make sense for the kisses to be the same if the two used the same body. Wouldn't it?  
_

"O-okay," Kyoko said softly. "I understand."

"Understand? Understand what?" Ren asked. "I'm sorry, I was…thinking about something."

"I—just thought, since you shook your head." She stared at her feet. "I would understand if this is asking too much of you," she said. "We're only sempai and kouhai, after all. Something like kissing is—"

"No, that's not…" Ren started. "Um, it's just…maybe if you told me more about the part, I could have a better idea what you need help with?" He said, stalling for time as he weighed his options.

She looked at him oddly, and then let out a long, deep sigh.

"Mogami-san? What's wrong?"

"There's something else," she admitted. "Beyond the kissing."

"Oh?" He asked, confused.

"It's…who I'm kissing."

"Okay?" _It's just acting,_ he thought, pushing away his jealous pangs. _Who she's kissing doesn't really matter._

"It's—Fuwa Sho!" She said, ducking her head, as if expecting an explosion.

What she expected wasn't far removed from what she got. A darkness fell over Ren and he felt that familiar anger that surged through him whenever he heard that name multiplied exponentially by the context of 'kissing'. She would be kissing him…again?!

He was the absolute last person Ren was worried about when it came to Kyoko's first onscreen kiss. He was a singer, for chrissakes! How? How did he keep forcing his way back in?

"How?" was all he managed to choke out. The cowering Kyoko looked up, winced at what she saw, and explained at top speed what had transpired the previous morning.

"That…bastard," he muttered. To think he would have to teach her how to kiss for _his_ benefit! Except... He ran a hand through his hair, then forced himself to calm down. It wasn't really, was it? _If she can't kiss him properly, she'll be embarrassed in front of him. Worse,_ he thought, coming to the same conclusion reached by Kanae the day before, _she'll have to keep kissing him until she _does_ get it right_. _Which, if he has his way, will probably take forever._

He let out a long breath of air, as if releasing all his anger in one go. _For now, we'll put aside that it's Fuwa,_ he thought. _I'm doing this for her sake, and no one else's. Well, mostly, anyway, _he found himself admitting sheepishly. He had a definite self-interest.

"So. You have to learn how to kiss."

She nodded nervously, wondering just how angry he would get.

"All right," he said with a tone of finality as he settled down next to her on the couch. "Let's get started, then."

**A/N: I know, it's a bit mean to stop right there, but I have to save something for later, right? Please let me know what you think so far! And thanks again to those who have alerted, favorited, and/or reviewed.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

"Right now?" Kyoko panicked. "Uh—I thought, maybe I could come back tomorrow, or…" She backed up on the couch until she was pressed up against its arm. _I never thought he'd say yes!_ She realized._ I'm not prepared for this!_

"Unfortunately, I'll be working most of the day tomorrow," he said, fighting a small smile at her reaction. She wouldn't appreciate being laughed at, he knew. "And since you're already here, wouldn't it make the most sense to do it now? You only have until Monday, right?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Mogami-san," he said gently, "I won't bite."

"I-" she reddened, suddenly inexplicably reminded of Setsu's first attempts at making a kiss mark. "I know. It's just, this is all so sudden." _Come on Kyoko, you asked _him_ for help, _she reminded herself. "But I'm very grateful, of course. For your help." She bowed jerkily.

"I haven't done anything to be thanked for, yet," he teased her. He patted the seat next to him on the couch, encouraging her to come closer.

She inched over to where he was and took in a deep breath. "I'm ready," she said stiffly.

It was all he could do not to kiss her right then, the way she looked with her "determined to be brave" face on, cheeks still completely flushed. He slipped and accidentally treated her to one of his brightest smiles, and her lip actually started to quiver.

_I can take this!_ She insisted, eyes watering as forced herself not to look away. _I have to!_

"Ahem," he coughed. "So, uh…first things first. You're shorter than me."

"I've noticed," she said weakly.

"Well, yes. Right. That means you're going to have to figure out how to get my face and your face within kissing distance of each other in a way that isn't overly awkward. Of course, Fuwa isn't as tall as I am," he said, face darkening momentarily, "but it'll be good practice anyway. In the script, are you standing or-?" He was trying to make the whole process as businesslike as possible.

She nodded. "I corner him against a wall."

"A wall. Okay." He stood and made his way over to the nearest bare wall, leaning up against it in a pose he usually reserved for modeling shoots. When she just sort of stared at him, he raised an eyebrow to hurry her along. "Mogami-san?"

"R-right," she nodded, and followed him to where he was standing. She looked up at him and realized just how gigantic that height difference was. It seemed insurmountable. And, she suddenly understood, bridging that gap would involve more physical contact than she was comfortable with. "So—um, I could, grab your collar," she said. "Or, I think the boys' uniform on the show has a necktie." Most of the male characters on the show were extras, so she had never paid much attention.

"That's one way," he nodded.

She stood there, staring at him blankly. "Um, so, now?"

He smiled. "Please do."

She took a deep breath, then put on her best Natsu face, gripped his collar, and with a sort of forceful jerk, dragged him down to meet her. It was, unfortunately, very similar to what Shotaro had done to her when he'd stolen that not-first kiss, and altogether not the most romantic means of bringing someone closer.

"That…wasn't very good, was it?" She said, automatically NGing herself, Natsu falling away.

"Well, our faces are near each other," he said with a chuckle. She squeaked and let him go. "But I think it might be better to move more slowly. Less pulling and more…guiding. Well," he straightened up, "sort of like this."

With a few smooth steps, he flipped the situation around, nudging Kyoko up against the wall. He used his superior arm span to trap her, and while not actually touching her, she could feel the heat of his closeness. He reached down, stroking her cheek, and gently pulled her face more towards his own. He placed one finger under her chin, tipping it up so that they were looking directly into each other's eyes, and then—

"I-I think I get it!" stammered a red-faced Kyoko, pulling back. "Could we switch again?"

_Patience_, Ren thought to himself, keeping his smile in place. "Of course."

This time, Natsu took over more readily, and with the benefit of confidence, leaned into Ren. She wasn't bigger than he was, so trapping him that way was impossible; instead she teased him by letting her body almost touch his, mere centimeters separating them in some places. Ren's breath caught in his throat as she used a maneuver much like his own—reaching up to stroke his cheek, and then letting that hand fall to the collar of his shirt. Gently, she tugged him—with both hands this time, so that the force was both smoother and more irresistible—down to meet her own face, where she tilted to one side, leaned in, and asked in a small, breathy voice, "Was that better?"

Ren nodded. "Much better," he managed. "So—um, the height shouldn't be an issue," he said, with the air of someone checking things off a list. "Which means we should move on to the kiss itself," he said, very aware of how close Kyoko's face still was.

"Yes," Kyoko agreed, staring absentmindedly into her sempai's eyes. He expected her to back away, ask for more time, say she wasn't ready, but she just continued to steadfastly meet his gaze.

"So…I'll demonstrate," he said awkwardly. He cupped her cheek in his hand once again and said, just for the sake of sounding instructional, "tilting your head is a good idea, because you don't want to bump noses," he said. "Then you…allow your lips to meet." He pressed his lips softly against her own slightly parted lips. It was a soft, sweet kiss, not unlike the one they'd shared in Guam. Not wanting to push his luck, he pulled back fairly quickly.

Kyoko was trying very hard to keep the blush that always seemed to show up whenever Ren was around in check. _We're acting, remember? It's all fake, just an exercise. Just keep your Natsu face on. If he thinks you're enjoying this too much…_

"So?" Ren prodded, straightening back up.

"That was…nice," she breathed without thinking. Ren stared openly, fighting to keep a grin off of his face. _Nice, huh?_

"I mean—" she tried to correct herself. _He wasn't asking for a review! _"I think, what I'll be doing, won't be quite that nice," she said by way of explanation, twirling a stray hair unconsciously. "I think it has to be more adult."

"More adult?"

"And longer," she added, nodding. She saw the surprise on his face and quickly added, "but if you're not comfortable with that, I'm sure I can figure it out from what you've already shown me."

_Uncomfortable? __Me? _He shook his head. "I think I can handle it, Mogami-san," he said, half-teasingly. She frowned at his laughing tone, cheeks puffed up in irritation.

"So…an adult kiss?" he continued, launching back into teaching mode. "That's not as simple. You have to worry about how your lips are positioned in regards to the other person's lips. They shouldn't be pressed flush against each other, but more stacked in between," he explained. "Like this," he said suddenly, not giving her a chance to hesitate.

He leaned in again, this time allowing his fingers to twist themselves into her hair as he brought her face closer. He started with the simple kiss he'd used at first, then gently nudged her mouth further open, sucking on her bottom lip and deepening the pull of his lips on hers. Her arms, which had been awkwardly half-raised when he'd pressed in, seemed to naturally settle into place on his shoulders, her hands clasped just behind his neck.

She was much more responsive than he could have hoped, and was kissing him back nearly as intensely as she slowly became acclimated, synchronizing her own movements with his. It wasn't so long ago that even the touching of lips terrified her, and yet she was pulling him closer. Of course, for an acting role, that was how it was for her, he reminded himself. She put all her effort into getting it right, and it was scary sometimes how deeply she fell into character. This probably wasn't even Kyoko he was kissing, he thought sadly.

For her part, Kyoko was trying desperately to regain some sense of the character she was meant to be playing. _This __feels_, she thought, shocked, _really good. _She found herself leaning into the kiss, all other thoughts floating away. _No! _She commanded herself internally. _What's wrong with me? I'm not some idiotic girl who lives only for love! I'm here for a reason. _She needed to do something, anything, to put herself back on track and reestablish the safe distance playing a role provided._ Natsu, I'm supposed to be Natsu._

Ren received what was possibly the biggest shock of his life when, in the midst of this long, deep kiss, this girl—who for him was the symbol of all that was pure, innocent and modest—slipped her tongue into his mouth.

**A/N: And that's where we're ending for today, boys and girls. Reviews are much appreciated! I especially enjoy seeing your theories about what will happen next, though I shall neither confirm nor deny anything.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

_What? Is? Happening? _Ren thought, bewildered.

Kyoko had stuck her tongue into his mouth as if it were nothing. And it was still there! Flitting in and around and—_what_? The movements themselves were rather clumsy, but that didn't make the experience any less shocking—or less pleasant. He was vaguely aware that his hands were of their own volition wandering down to clutch her lower back and press her closer. _Do I just keep going?_ He wondered._ Do I pull back? How far is too far? Dammit, h__ow am I supposed to keep my composure with her doing things like this?!  
_

Sensing something was off, Kyoko pulled away, disentangling herself from what had become a surprisingly tight embrace and looking slightly ashamed. "I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san, I think I got carried away."

He stared at her, eyes lingering on the disarray of her hair and the swelling of her lips. It was a look he'd like to see more often, he thought absentmindedly. Finally, what she'd said seemed to register.

"Carried away?" Tsuruga echoed, bemused.

"With the character," she explained.

"Oh," Ren tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "The character likes to-?"

She nodded. "With girls, Nacchan likes to use her influence as the leader of a popular group, but with boys, she definitely likes controlling them with her…" she blushed, "her charisma, let's say."

This was the innocent Kyoko he knew, Ren thought, finally back in familiar territory. "Okay, so you were trying to control the situation by taking the initiative." _A little warning might have been nice, _he thought, running a hand through his hair.

"Exactly," she said, agreeing, twiddling her fingers uncomfortably, "And because she knew you weren't expecting it, she thought she could use the suddenness of more intimate contact to toy with and confuse you."

Nothing was said for a moment, and she wondered if he was disgusted by her forwardness. She decided to offer another apology, just in case.

When she looked up to address him, the soothing expression Ren had been wearing all night in an attempt to make her feel less skittish had disappeared to be replaced with his most charming gentlemanly smile.

"I see, so I was being toyed with," Ren said slowly, definitely pissed. _Do you have any idea what you've put me through? _He thought, a vein throbbing at his temple.

"By Nacchan," Kyoko insisted, trying to deflect his anger. "She—"

"Well, then you can tell 'Nacchan' that it was a good effort," he said irritably, and to Kyoko's astonishment, he reached forward and reclaimed his hold on her face, drawing her close once again. "but that if she really wants to 'toy' with someone, then it should go more like this—"

* * *

By the end of the night, both Kyoko and Ren were collapsed on the couch, tired, out of breath, and frankly, dehydrated.

"I think…you have the basics down," Ren said, still huffing slightly. "You should be fine for…the scene."

"Right…the scene," Kyoko echoed vaguely. Somewhere along the way, she had lost track of the purpose of all this. She sat up suddenly, realizing that she'd have to do this sort of thing with Shotaro in only a couple of days—maybe even less than that. She sort of wished she had the courage to ask the director to make that scene last so she could prepare herself mentally, but it would kill her to admit to Shotaro that she wasn't ready. And anyway, she couldn't use not knowing how as an excuse anymore.

Ren watched her curiously. It was always interesting to see the expressions she made when she was thinking; they always changed so quickly. If he wasn't mistaken, one of those was the look she reserved for Fuwa. It bothered him to see it, but—he thought with pleasure—he hadn't seen it on her face all night. Until he reminded her of the scene, Fuwa wasn't even an afterthought for her.

More importantly, she didn't seem to be eager to get away from him and all that he had done—after that second kiss, it had become kind of...extreme. He had definitely overstepped the bounds of what was expected when disinterestedly teaching someone how to kiss, but she didn't seem to have noticed. _She _is_ pretty inexperienced,_ he thought, _maybe she thought that was normal?_

He sat up as well. "So, I guess I should take you home, now," he said, offering a hand to help her get up from the couch.

"Uh…well, it's pretty late," Kyoko said, surprised.

"Hmm?" Ren asked.

"Nothing, never mind. I'd be very grateful for a ride home," she said, wondering at her own foolishness. This late, he would usually invite her to stay the night, and after they'd spent so much time together in that hotel room as the Heel siblings, she'd just assumed…_but, he said he had a lot of work the next day_, she remembered._ I shouldn't be so presumptuous just because he's been kind in the past._ _And anyway,_ she admitted to herself,_ maybe it's not the best idea to stay in the same apartment after…everything. I'm not sure I'd be able to sleep knowing he was in the next room. _

Color bloomed in her cheeks for what must have been the thousandth time that night. She was sure that once she had a chance to calmly think about all that happened, about kissing Tsuruga Ren over and over until he finally said that she'd gotten it right—and he wasn't easily satisfied—it wouldn't just be her face that was red. She wasn't sure how she should handle it, but tired as she was...for tonight, at least, she wouldn't dwell on it too much. She might die from embarrassment otherwise.

The ride home was a quiet one, both lost in their own thoughts, wondering just how the other felt about the night's events.

Kyoko glanced over at Ren, whose eyes were firmly aimed ahead. He wasn't mad anymore, she could tell. She probably shouldn't have repeated Nacchan's thoughts out loud, but the truth was, she was sort of glad she had. Making Tsuruga-san mad was usually a terrible idea, but tonight she felt sure that it was the only thing that had kept her safe. Even before he'd kissed her the first time, she'd been half-mesmerized. He didn't seem to have noticed how she felt, though; thanks to her little slip, he was too busy teaching her proper etiquette. And...other things.

_Kissing _is_ complicated, _she thought, flushing. _Just how much practice has Tsuruga-san had? _She wondered. _All the things he could do with just the right touch—_she shivered—_honestly, even at home I still might not be able to get to sleep_. _I'm sure I won't need half of that for the scene, anyway. _She shook her head. _No, I'm going to keep it simple. No way am I kissing Shotaro like that. _

She sneaked another peek at Tsuruga-san's impassive face. _I swear, it's like he just wanted to show off. He's definitely a playboy, _she thought, reaching her inevitable conclusion, scrunching up her nose and folding her arms against her chest.

For all that he was focused on the road, the gesture was not lost on him. _This girl,_ he thought, exhausted. _She has no idea how cute she is. _Worse, he thought, there seemed to be no limit to her learning curve. A single night was all it had taken for her to learn how to walk like a runway model, and only a few hours of admittedly intense practice had led to her giving just as good as she got in the kissing department. _And people call _me_ a monster, _he marveled. He needed to get her home and away from him before he gave in and did something that couldn't be explained away as an acting exercise.

They made it to the Daruma-ya, and Kyoko bowed her thanks. "I learned a lot," she said, blushing ferociously.

"I'm happy to have been helpful," he said, as he escorted her to the door.

She turned to head in for the night when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Tsuruga-san?" She asked, looking up at him.

"I just wanted to say…good luck on Monday," he said, smiling softly. "And don't you dare lose to the likes of Fuwa Sho."

She grinned. "Never." She stretched out her hand, pinky raised. "One take only," she said firmly.

He was startled for a moment, then recognized what she wanted. He held out his own hand and interlocked his pinky with hers.

"One take only," he agreed.

**A/N: Title drop! So dramatic. Reviews are much appreciated.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

_"Again," Ren said, face so close to hers she could feel the vibration of his voice against her skin. She stared at him, through him, not really hearing what he'd said."Mogami-san," he said, softer this time. "Don't look away. Look me in the eyes, take control, and kiss me again."  
_

_She nodded obediently. Surely this time—_how many times has it been?_ she wondered—it wouldn't pull her under. That feeling...she was used to it now, wasn't she? She must be. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind and focus on the matter at hand. He was waiting._

_She called up Natsu's soul, stepped into his space...possessed him. He was hers, to do with what she wished. She grasped his cheek with one hand, curled her fingers into his silk-smooth hair with the other, and—_

"Kyoko-chan?" The Okami-san called from somewhere downstairs. "Is everything all right? You don't want to be late for work!"

Kyoko sat up, bleary-eyed, hair a tousled mess. It felt like she had only just gotten to sleep, only just managed to shut out her thoughts about him, but somehow, he had invaded even her dreams, giving her the second night of restless sleep in as many days.

"It's Monday," she said out loud, as if to motivate herself. What was the significance of Monday again?

_Oh, right,_ she thought, glancing at the much-abused poster on her bedroom wall. _Well, let's get this over with._

* * *

"All right, " the director was announcing. "Now, Fuwa-san should be joining us shortly after lunch, so we should start working on the scenes that don't involve him. Remember, we want this episode to be particularly dark because it's Chitose's final turning point. She realizes just how far Natsu is willing to go to hurt her and finally understands that she needs to fight back, which is how we'll lead into the more uplifting, empowering arc that will begin next season. Now, Kyouko-chan," he said, turning to address the chestnut-haired actress, "I'm counting on you to bring out the full extent of Natsu's joy at finally getting to Chitose. Remember, you've been trying all season to wipe that cheerful smile off her face and you're beginning to succeed."

"Yes, sir," Kyoko said dutifully. Maybe someday she could pretend to be happy for less psychotic reasons, she thought wistfully. Still, there was something nice about being able to leave behind Kyoko's thoughts for a while, she admitted to herself.

"And, just a quick reminder, when Fuwa-san comes," he resumed talking to the cast as a whole, "I know he's a bit famous, but we need to treat him like any other performer—respectfully. And try not to ask for autographs. He's not an actor, but like all celebrities, he has some experience with creating a certain image, so it shouldn't be too difficult to work with him."

"Well, Kyouko-san worked with him before, right?" Chiori asked. "What is he like?" She smiled sweetly, hiding the rage that was bubbling up inside of her. _To think we have to work with a complete amateur! And the worst kind of amateur, who thinks it's okay to just be famous and show up whenever he likes. Are you looking down on those of us who've actually worked to become actors?!_

"Kyouko-chan, you've worked with him?" The director asked, surprised. "You didn't mention that."

Realizing everyone was now looking at her, Kyoko sighed. "Yes. I appeared as the killer angel in the PV for his song _Prisoner,_" she admitted.

"That was you?" Came the familiar cry from a number of the crew, including, unfortunately, the director. _He's the one who scouted me for this project, _she seethed. _Didn't he even look at my work history? Or did he only care about Mio?_

She nodded. "With the help of makeup, a wig, color contacts and CG effects," she said, as dismissively as possible, not even slightly in the mood to discuss how different she looked. As sleep-deprived as she was now, she was finding it hard to dredge up anything resembling enthusiasm for what was to come.

"So, what _was_ he like?" The director asked.

Kyoko stiffened, and a long pause followed as she considered the question.

"Kyouko-chan? Did you hear me?" He asked when she still hadn't answered.

Finally, she smiled her best professional smile. "I'm probably not the best person to ask. He and I didn't exactly get along," she said diplomatically.

"You mean he didn't like you?"

Her smile twitched a bit, but stayed in place. "And vice versa. But I can assure you that as a professional, I have no intention of letting my personal feelings get in the way of my work."

There was a moment as everyone considered that statement. That the polite-to-a-fault Kyouko-san could openly dislike someone was a foreign concept to them. She hadn't gotten mad when the other actresses had spent the first days of shooting bullying her at every turn, _or even_, Chiori thought, _when I pushed her down the stairs. _Just what had Fuwa Sho done to piss her off?

"Of course not," the director said cheerily, trying to lighten the mood, "I have faith that you'll perform your role just as admirably as always." He wondered for the first time if he had made a mistake in hiring the famous musician.

* * *

The musician in question was in a car on the way to the shoot.

"Sho? Are you listening to me?" His manager, Aki Shoko, demanded. "You're the one who insisted on taking this guest spot and I haven't seen you prepare at all. You should have been trying to learn about the storyline, or the characters, or tried to get a feel for the show's atmosphere. Didn't you do _any_ research? "

Sho shrugged. "What for? The guy said himself all I have to is know my lines and act cool. And anyway, isn't research your job, Shoko-san?"

Shoko practically growled. "Normally, yes, but you gave me two days to reschedule a week's worth of pre-tour promotion around a drama schedule, all while we still had a full workload. I had to call in about a dozen favors just to get it done without offending anyone. What were you thinking when you accepted this job?"

"What's the big deal?" He asked lazily. "You said yourself that making the crossover to acting would be a good career move."

"At some point in the future, yes, it's a great way to expand your fan base," she allowed. "But the most acting you've done has been in four-minute-long music videos. You've never had to learn lines, or blocking, or really create a character. It takes time and practice to develop those skills." For goodness' sake, he couldn't even close his eyes on cue!

"I've had to memorize lyrics, and I've had to dance onstage. I don't really see a difference."

"Sho—"

"Just leave it alone, Shoko-san," he snapped. "I know what I'm doing."

And the rest of the trip was completed in silence.

* * *

When Sho finally appeared on set, Kyoko was just wrapping up a scene in which Natsu was detailing her plans for how to finally break Chitose's spirit in the utmost. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him enter.

He had on his usual infuriating smirk and was basking in the gasps of appreciation that accompanied his arrival. He seemed to direct a question to one of the stage hands, who pointed directly at Kyoko. His smirk grew wider, and Kyoko bristled internally, but managed to keep her Natsu-face smooth and impassive. As much as it pissed her off to see him, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of making her look unprofessional, she swore. Aside from a slight demonic flare-up on her part, the shoot continued as usual.

After greeting the director and the cast as a group, he made an effort to specifically talk to Rumi, but completely avoided Kyoko's gaze, and didn't even seem to register her presence. Sho was shown to a dressing room where he could change into the school uniform and prepare for that day's scenes.

_ So, he's ignoring me! _She thought angrily. _He thinks he can get to me that way? Two can play at that game. _Then, she shook her head. No, it wouldn't do to play into his childish trap. She needed to do the mature, professional thing, and greet him properly. If nothing else, they could get their usual fight out of the way before filming started. For some inexplicable reason, whenever people saw her fighting with him, they assumed the two of them were dating. She was willing to do whatever it took to avoid that misunderstanding.

With a defeated shrug, she told Chiori not to wait for her to start eating and made her way over to Shotaro's dressing room. She was about to knock on the slightly ajar door when she realized the singer and his manager were in the middle of a heated discussion. _Well, I'll come back later_, she decided. _Or better yet, not at all, _said the part of her that wasn't too pleased with this sudden turn for mature behavior where Shotaro was involved.

"Sho, please tell me you've at least read the script," Shoko was saying. Kyoko paused to listen to the answer. _If he didn't even do that much..._she thought angrily.

"Of course," he said irritably. "I had to, to know what kind of song to write, remember?"

"And you know your lines?"

"More or less."

_More or less? _Kyoko thought. _This jackass-!_

"Sho, this is a job like any other. If you're unprofessional, word will get around, and no one will want to take a chance on you acting in the future."

"I know my lines, okay?" He barked.

"And I still don't get why you were so adamant about doing this when you don't even seem to care about this job!"

_Because he lives to make my life miserable, of course, _Kyoko thought darkly. _Why else?_

"Because that bastard director pissed me off, that's why," he finally burst out.

"What?" Shoko asked.

_What_? Kyoko thought.

"You heard him. When he found out I was going on tour, he was gonna take back the collaboration proposal and give it to those damn Beagles, saying 'you probably won't have the time to get the job done'!"

"Sho, that's called negotiating. He said that on purpose just to get you to sign on," Shoko sigh, exasperated.

_And you totally fell for it, of course. _Kyoko shook her head wonderingly. _The size of your ego..._

"You think I don't know that? The fact that he thought I was so easy to screw with is what pissed me off!" He raged. "So I thought I'd screw around with him a right back, and make him really work for the privilege of having the top musician in Japan write a song for his stupid drama. I never thought he'd actually offer me an acting job, though," he laughed derisively.

_Is this kind of director really okay? _Kyoko asked herself, not for the first time.

"And then," he continued, glowering, "he said that I 'won't even have to act.'"

"I thought you were happy about that," Shoko said, confused. "Because it means less effort for you."

_And you're incredibly lazy, _Kyoko agreed silently.

"Happy? That he thinks I don't know how to act? That he thinks it's too hard for me?" He snapped. "Like I can't do everything that Tsuruga bastard can do?" He kicked a long leg out, knocking over one of the chairs.

"Sho—" Shoko tried to calm him down. "Nobody said you can't act, just that maybe…well, you don't have much experience," she said soothingly.

"So now I'm getting experience." He said, sitting down in one of the remaining upright chairs and leaning it back so that it was on the verge of tipping over. "At least the chick I have to kiss isn't half bad to look at. Not much of a chest, but way better than that Rumi girl—too cutesy. I might not be bored out of my mind the whole time I'm here."

"You have to kiss someone?" Shoko frowned, frustrated. "Sho, you realize that's the kind of thing your manager should know about, so I can handle the publicity that goes with it. If I'd had time to prepare, like I should have, I could have read the script myself-"

The rest of the conversation sort of faded into the distance as Kyoko managed to glean the most important information from the overheard exchange. One, she was not the reason for which Sho had forced his way onto this drama—he had done it out of some twisted sense of pride. Two, he was probably actually going to try and do a decent job, no matter how uninterested he pretended to be, all because he saw it as him somehow competing with Tsuruga-san.

And three, and most importantly, either because they didn't care enough to check the cast list, or just hadn't found the time with the seriously abbreviated schedule they were all on, neither he nor his manager knew _she_ was Natsu.

**A/N: Bit of a twist, that. Reviews are appreciated!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

_He doesn't know, _Kyoko thought, skipping down the hall. _He has no idea it's me! _As she passed a member of the technical staff on the way to the lunchroom, she remembered herself, smoothed out her skirt, and returned to her usual staid gait. The moment the man was gone, though, she burst into a grin and performed a gleeful pirouette.

She wouldn't have to endure insults, yelling, or his arrogant, condescending attitude. For the next week, he would maintain his aloof, cool-guy image—and since to him, she was just another actress he'd be working with, he wouldn't so much as glance at her outside of filming. Sure, she'd still have to kiss him, but the kiss itself was nothing compared to a week of shooting with a Shotaro that was aiming to annoy her.

Of course, Kyoko knew that at some point the truth would come out, and she'd probably be the recipient of more angry, accusatory phone calls, but there was no point in thinking about that now.

_Best of all_, she thought happily, _no one will think we're dating each other. Everyone will just see us former co-workers who don't get along._

_Wait! _It suddenly occurred to her. _Everyone! _The last thing she needed was to have the cast and crew expose her before the cameras even started rolling. She needed to take precautions—last time she'd been in this position, she'd had the advantage that only Mimori knew who she was, but this time, everyone on set was a risk.

This revelation taken into account, she rushed back to the dining area. The director was heavily immersed in a discussion with his assistant director and the more protagonistic members of the cast, but pushing her natural unassuming tendencies aside, she marched up to his table, bowed suddenly and sharply, and cutting the man off midsentence, said, "Excuse me, Director, but there's something I need to discuss with you."

The director openly stared at her, mouth gaping in surprise. Of all the people to interrupt him, especially in such a public way! "Um…of course, Kyouko-chan. How can I help you?"

"I want…rather, I would like…" she stuttered, head still lowered.

"Yes?" the man prompted.

"If it's no inconvenience…" she continued vaguely, clearly losing her nerve.

"Kyouko-chan, if we need to discuss this in private—"

She finally jerked up, shaking her head violently. "No, everyone should hear," she said. "I would appreciate it if, for the remainder of filming for this week, everyone could please refer to me as Natsu."

Director Annaka took a moment to absorb the odd request, then responded,

"…can I ask why?"

Kyoko paled. _Of course he'd need a reason! Think!_

"Um…well…" she said, avoiding his gaze. _I can't tell him the truth; that would defeat the whole purpose! If they know that we're more than co-workers there's no way they won't read something romantic into our relationship. _

_ Romantic…_As abruptly as if a light bulb had lit up over her head, she found the answer.

"I—I didn't want to mention this," she said diffidently, managing with some small effort to bring a blush to her cheeks, "but I'm a little uncomfortable with the flirting in some of the scenes. I can do it, of course," she asserted quickly, not wanting to give the wrong idea. The whole point of the intensive training over the weekend was make sure she seemed capable and prepared, and she didn't want to negate those benefits by playing up her naïveté too much. "But I feel like I would be better able to handle everything if I stay in character as much as possible. Natsu has no problem with" she tossed in a stammer for good measure, "k-kissing. And if everyone," she gave an appealing glance to her fellow actresses, "would be so kind as to play along, then I don't think I should have an problems."

It seemed to work well enough. The older staff members smiled indulgently at her innocence, and Rumi even caught her eyes to give her a sympathetic look. But, she knew, it would all come down to the director.

"Well, okay," he said easily. "If that's what you need to deliver a compelling performance. I'll make sure everyone knows." She let out a relieved sigh on the inside. He was, after all, the same man who had allowed Chiori to dump nail polish remover all over a girl's head for the sake of an impactful scene, so something like this wouldn't seem too extreme to him. If it were any other director—

"But, Kyouko-chan," he said, bringing her back down to earth. "In the future, if there's something you're uncomfortable with doing, or if something's troubling you about a scene, please feel free to talk to me about it."

Kyoko blinked, surprised by the suddenly serious expression on the man's face. Maybe she'd laid it on a little too thick. "Um…of course, Director. Thank you for your concern." She gave another bow and retreated to the lunch table where Chiori had saved her a seat.

_Okay_, she thought. _Now all I have to do is stay in character whenever he's around, hope no one else slips and that he doesn't happen to somehow figure it out on his own, and I should have a peaceful week. I can do this.  
_

"Kyouko-san?" _Oops, _she thought, jerking her head back up to turn her attention toward Chiori, who must have been speaking to her for some time if her confused tone was anything to go by.

"Yes?" She asked. "Sorry, I was thinking about something."

"Did something happen when you went to greet Fuwa-san?" Chiori asked. _For her to suddenly make an announcement like that…_"You seem…off."

"No, nothing," she said quickly. "It was a normal greeting. Really."

Chiori looked at her oddly. "He didn't say anything rude, then? He didn't seem very polite earlier. He only took the time to greet the lead actress, and he didn't even acknowledge you when you've worked together before. Of course, maybe when you're that famous, you think the rules of common courtesy don't apply to you," she concluded angrily, gripping her chopsticks so tightly that one snapped in half. She schooled her expression, re-donned her cute girl façade and turned back to her sempai. "But everything was fine?"

"Well," she admitted. "He actually didn't recog–remember me," she corrected quickly. "I shouldn't be surprised," she said with a self-deprecating laugh, "everyone says I look so different from one role to the next, and we really had very little screen time together."

"Still, that's got to be annoying," her friend said, "to think he could forget you so easily."

"It's fine," Kyoko shrugged helplessly. "Honestly, I'd be just as happy if he never managed to connect the dots."

_Ah,_ Chiori thought. _Is that the real reason for the name change? She doesn't seem like the type to have trouble with doing unpleasant things for the sake of acting._ As a fellow member of the LoveMe section, Chiori understood the aversion to onscreen romance—case in point, her description of such activities as "unpleasant"—but this was the first time she'd seen any actual proof that her perpetually cheerful sempai had those same hangups, probably because she'd been working to get over them for longer. As soon as Fuwa Sho showed up, though, the issues had reappeared. _What exactly is that guy to her? _She wondered.

_Well, if you never ask_...she thought. "Because you 'didn't exactly get along'?" she quoted, hoping to nudge the girl into some explanation of her feelings toward the Visual Kei singer.

Another shrug, even more noncommittal than the last. A few moments passed in relative silence as Kyoko unwrapped her bento and pulled apart her chopsticks, frustrating Chiori's curiosity.

"If you don't mind me asking, Kyouko-san, just what did Fuwa Sho do that bothers you so much?" She finally said, opting for the direct route.

Kyoko stiffened again, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. She tamped down the explosive anger she usually felt when asked to recount the story of her time with Shotaro—the one that would take three full days to relate—and once again pulled out her professional smile.

"If it's all the same to you, Amamiya-san, I'd just as soon talk about something else." The oddly dark aura that seemed to swirl just behind the smile was enough to dissuade Chiori from asking further, and she obediently changed the subject.

"Um… Oh!" She said, landing on something she'd been wanting to ask before. "I noticed that you weren't wearing your necklace in the scene, but I'm sure I saw you wearing it when you came in. Did the chain break again?"

"Hmm?" Kyoko absentmindedly touched her neck where Princess Rosa should be hanging. "No, she's fine," she said, shaking her head. "The writers asked if they could use her as a plot point."

Chiori was used to her co-worker's bizarre tendency to refer to the necklace as if it were a person, and was unfazed by the out-of-place pronoun. "How do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, it's supposed to be one of the early warning signs that Natsu is becoming _too_ obsessed with Chitose," she began. "Before, she always had a number of girls she would pick on, but Chitose is the first to have lasted so long, showing a cheerful face even after everything that's happened. So, Natsu gets interested in just her and eventually starts to lose control in other aspects of her life.

"The first major sign is that she forgets to be as attentive to her appearance as she used to," she continued. "Things like her uniform being not as neat, or forgetting to keep up her good-girl act in front of teachers. But this is really just foreshadowing. We won't be starting that as much until next season, when Chitose starts to stand up for herself and Natsu starts falling apart, until even the girls in her bullying group lose respect for her."

"Except for Kaori," Chiori tacked on. Kyoko nodded. "So they asked you not to wear it? Then why bring it in?"

"They want to shoot a small scene where Natsu is getting ready, and Princess Rosa is laying on her dresser, forgotten. They figure not many people will be able to understand the significance, but they thought it would be a fun scene to add—kind of like an Easter egg for really dedicated fans." She smiled. "I thought it was an interesting idea, so I gave them the okay."

Chiori smiled in return, glad to have gotten Kyoko out of her strange mood. She moved to start eating from her bento again when it finally registered that one of her chopsticks was in pieces. "Again?" She muttered. "Excuse me, Kyouko-san," she said, standing up from the table. "I need to get a new set of chopsticks."

"Please do," Kyoko said politely. She opened her own bento and was poised to put the first piece of fried chicken into her mouth when she felt the presence of someone else. Wondering if Chiori had forgotten something—although what she could have forgotten on a trip to get utensils was hard to imagine—she looked up to see the all-too-familiar face of her childhood friend as he stood over her.

"Mind if I sit here?" He asked casually.

He was outfitted in the show's school uniform of suit and tie, although the color was different from her own to indicate his status as an upperclassman, and he carried one of the bentos provided by the show. The overall effect reminded her rather forcibly of their junior high years, and she found herself momentarily stunned, unable to respond.

Then, her demons screamed to be released on his smug, smug face, and she remembered where she was. She took it as a sign that her acting had improved when even in spite of her surprise she managed to make an almost immediate switch into her Natsu persona. A sly smile spread across her face, and she said equally as casually, "Why not?"

"I'm Sho," he said, settling into the seat next to her. Unspoken were the words, _but of course you know that already. _"What's your name?"

"Just call me Natsu," she said. _Egotistical bastard. _She then turned back to her lunch, projecting an air of total indifference as she picked up a small clump of rice, examined it, placed it in her mouth, and chewed slowly.

The apparent lack of interest didn't seem to bother him; he only raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I hope you don't mind me eating with you. This whole 'acting' thing is still pretty new to me," he said lazily, as if her profession was merely a hobby he'd decided to dabble in, "and since we're going to be spending a lot of time together on set, I figured we could get to know each other a little better." He leaned in until she could feel the heat radiating off of his body.

"Why bother?" She asked, still not looking at him. "Technically, you're Chitose's love interest," she pointed out breezily, "shouldn't you be getting to know Rumi?"

"True," he said with a chuckle, "but, Natsu-san, I noticed that you especially were looking at me pretty intensely earlier." _Glaring at you,_ she corrected mentally. "So I figured, if there are any questions you're _burning_ to ask me," his voice got low and rough, "well, I've never been one to disappoint a fan." This prompted a mental eye-roll on Kyoko's part, but Natsu's face remained impassive.

"Besides, you're the one I'll be kissing," he added matter-of-factly. He moved in further, lips almost touching her ear, and whispered, "I could give you a few pointers, if you want."

Kyoko wanted very badly to back away and get as much distance from him as possible, utterly bewildered by his attitude towards her, but instead chose to leave the reaction to Natsu.

The charismatic high school girl held a hand out in front of her, idly examining her manicure, then threw him a questioning glance with one perfectly-plucked eyebrow arched above the other. "Pointers?" She echoed coolly. A small, condescending smile appeared on her face and she gave an artful giggle. "As if I—" Suddenly, before she could finish her thought, she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye.

A camera tech had approached the table where the two performers were sitting and, with a quick bow, started to say something.

"Excuse me, Kyou—" She sprung from her chair, letting the scrape of its legs on the linoleum floor cover the last syllable. The man was slightly taken aback at the quick response and stopped speaking altogether.

"May I help you?" She asked, the smile she directed at him making it very clear how displeased she was. Obviously, not everyone had heard her special announcement. She just hoped Shotaro hadn't noticed.

"Um, well," he said, cowed, "sorry to i-interrupt, but as soon as you're done with lunch you're needed back on set to do a re-take of the last scene. We were running through the footage, and it seems there was some kind of strange interference with the camera…almost like there was this dark shadow over everything—"

"I'll be right there," she said briskly, collecting her lunch up again. She hadn't even touched the thing, but better to get away as soon as possible. She readied herself to follow the tech, who was further characterizing the interference as "a bunch of tiny, scary-looking faces," when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Looking up, she met Sho's eyes full force. There was no sign of recognition, thankfully, but he did grace her with a cocksure smile and and the parting words, "see you around."

_This may be harder than I thought, _she realized.

**A/N: So there's some more of that.**** Thanks to everyone for reading, and to the reviewers, who got me thinking about some fun ideas for where this situation can go next.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Across town, in the parking structure at TBM, Tsuruga Ren was in his car, his head laid against the steering wheel. A tapping sound came on the window, and he looked up to find Yashiro had returned.

He flicked the switch to unlock the passenger side door and sat up in his seat, pulling his usual professional mask back into place. His manager slid into the car, handing over a packet for Ren's perusal.

"These are all the schedule changes," he said. Ren nodded, skimming the pages for relevant information. "We shouldn't have any conflicts."

"Ren…" Yashiro said slowly. "Were you just asleep?"

Ren straightened the papers and handed them back to his manager. "Why would you think that?" He asked, keeping his voice as neutral as possible.

"I was knocking on that window for almost five minutes." He replied simply.

The actor sighed. "Yes, I dozed off for a little while," he admitted. "I had a small bout of insomnia last night and I'm still somewhat tired."

"You can usually get by on only a few hours of sleep," Yashiro said, concerned. "You're not coming down with something, are you?"

"I'm fine," Ren said quickly. "It was just one night." _Well, two, but who's counting? _He thought guiltily.

"Ren," Yashiro scolded, "you can't always just ignore health issues like this. It could be a sign that there's something wrong. Besides, if you're that tired, you should hardly be driving."

"But it's not like you could take over for me," Ren reminded him. "And it's really not that bad. It's just that I had a free moment, and I took a second to rest."

"So it was on purpose?" The older man asked.

"Of course," Ren asserted confidently.

Yashiro nodded. "Uh-huh," he said.

Ren glanced at him, irritated. "What does 'uh-huh' mean?" He asked with his most polite-looking smile.

"There's no point looking at me like that," his manager said. "I know you're lying. After all, if you'd meant to take a nap, you'd have pulled out that ridiculous pillow of yours."

Ren glared at him pointedly. Yashiro, sensing the source of the problem, amended his statement. "That…totally normal and appropriate for a grown man pillow, I mean," he said.

The actor held the scowl for another moment, then slumped in his seat. "Okay, fine. I didn't mean to fall asleep, and I'm actually very tired. But I'm not sick, I promise."

"You may not think you are, but you don't exactly have the best track record at recognizing illness," Yashiro pointed out. "Wouldn't it be better if, just to be safe, you went in for a check-up?"

Ren buried his face in his hands, and let out a sigh that seemed to last for an eternity. If he didn't give Yashiro a reasonable explanation, he'd end up missing work for a doctor's visit he didn't need. But if he told the truth—the idea was almost too horrible to fathom. He could lie. _No_, he shot himself down. Tired as he was, his manager would spot it a mile away. If he got caught in yet another lie, he'd definitely end up at the hospital, which posed some interesting technical problems if Yashiro was looking over his shoulder while he filled out insurance forms.

_Fine_, he made his decision. _The story's probably bound to come out eventually. Better to tell him now and get it over with._

He straightened up, and turned to face Yashiro. "I'm telling you this in confidence and I am asking you to please be as mature as possible."

"Okay," Yashiro said, now thoroughly bewildered.

"This weekend, I gave Mogami-san kissing lessons."

"…"

Yashiro froze, his hair standing absolutely on end. Then, he opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His lips flapped pointlessly for a few moments more, and he seemed to be struggling to express himself through a kind of sign language known only to him. Finally, both hands and mouth stilled, and his whole body, from head to toe, took on a brilliant shade of crimson.

Ren, who was at this point seriously worried that he might have broken his manager with this revelation, waved a hand in front of his face, checking to see if there was any response. "Yukihito-san?" he ventured.

Suddenly he became aware of strange, high-pitched whistling that seemed to be coming from Yashiro's closed mouth. It was like watching a kettle come to a boil—when the pressure became too much to contain, it burst out of him in a long, joyful shriek.

"YOU KISSED KYOKO-CHAN?"

"Yashiro-san—"

"THIS IS WONDERFUL!"

"Please, calm down—"

"TELL ME EVERYTHING!"

"Yashiro-san!" He said sternly, grabbing him by the shoulders. "People are staring." True enough, a number of people in various stages of parking had stopped what they were doing to try and locate the source of the noise.

Always concerned with his star's image, Yashiro managed to calm himself. He nodded solemnly, then said, "Maybe it would be best if we continued this conversation on the road."

"Only if you promise not to start screaming again," Ren responded. "Otherwise I might accidentally drive us off of a bridge."

"No more screaming," he promised, then frowned. "You really should have given me more warning than that, you know. You and Kyoko-chan sharing your first kiss is…monumental."

"Teaching someone to kiss and kissing someone for real are two very different things," he said as he pulled the car out of its spot and headed for the exit. "It was a favor, nothing more. And I'm actually not sure it was such a good idea."

"Because it wasn't the real thing?" Yashiro asked.

He sighed. That was definitely part of it. "It's not like she kissed me because she has feelings for me. In the end it's all because of _him_."

"Him?" The older man asked, confused.

"Who else?" Ren said bitterly. "Fuwa."

"Um...I don't follow." Yashiro said blankly. "Why on Earth would you teach Kyoko-chan how to kiss Fuwa Sho?" he asked.

"Because she asked me to," he said simply. Yashiro just stared at him, and he relented. "It was work-related. Fuwa somehow managed to get a guest role on her current drama and their characters are slated to kiss each other." _Maybe even as soon as today, _he lamented.

"Oh," his manager said. "…and that's why you're sleep deprived? Because you know she has to kiss him?"

"Well, that doesn't help either," he admitted. "But it's more…" he sighed, forcing himself to say it, "that I'm scared. I think I may have gone too far and risked pushing Mogami-san away."

"What do you mean?" Yashiro asked, surprised to hear Ren speak so honestly about his feelings. _He must really be tired,_ he mused.

"I…lost control. During the lessons."

Yashiro gasped. "You didn't! Ren, that's illegal!"

"What?" he asked, startled. "No, not like that—it didn't go anywhere near that far," he said, wondering how it was that _he_ was supposed to be the playboy and yet Yashiro's mind always made that sudden leap to less-than-savory thoughts. "I just…I insisted that we practice far more than we possibly needed to—even with the sort of kissing you would almost never see on a teen drama—and I was definitely too hands-on." _I wanted to make sure there was nothing Fuwa could surprise her with, no other _first_ he could take away. That...and I just couldn't seem to stop myself._

"And she didn't seem bothered by it right then, but…the more I think about it, the more I'm sure that she was just too worn out or maybe even too scared to say anything. I thought for a while that maybe she just couldn't tell what I was doing was wrong, but…" he shook his head, thinking, _if there's anything I've learned from all this, it's that she's not nearly as naïve as she appears to be. Or is it just "Nacchan" that isn't naïve? _He wondered. _Either way the knowledge is in there somewhere._

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Ren," Yashiro said suddenly, stirring him from his reverie. "After all, you're her trusted sempai. She puts up with all your demands, tantrums, and mood swings without ever questioning your motives. She probably thinks you were just being thorough."

"You…may be right," Ren admitted, feeling his mood lift somewhat in spite of being accused of having tantrums. Kyoko _had_ kept the completely unreasonable promise to "stay pure" that he'd extorted from her all this time without a second thought. Naïve or not, he realized, she was still one of the densest people he'd ever met when it came to romance. He knew from experience the convoluted ways in which she avoided seeing love even when it was right in front of her—she _still_ didn't seem to realize that Fuwa Sho was interested in more than just a rivalry with her.

_Which makes it that much more dangerous for them to be together, _he knew.

"Of course," Yashiro apparently felt the need to add, "if she didn't figure out how you felt about her even after you 'lost control,' maybe she never will."

"Thanks for that," Ren said flatly.

"Anytime!" Came the cheerful answer**.**

**A/N: A little dose of Ren and Yashiro for what ails ya. Reviews are appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So I've been gone a while. I could tell you that it's because real life interfered with exams, plane rides, moving to new cities and whatnot. But you don't wanna hear about that stuff, so I'll just say it's 'cause you don't review enough. Learn from your mistakes! Review now! (Or better yet, after you've read the chapter). Enjoy this extra-long edition.  
**

"Oi, Shoko-san…how old is this show again?" Sho suddenly asked during a momentary break between takes as his make-up was retouched.

The manager had only just got off the phone with a talk show host who was trying to negotiate a pre-taping time that wouldn't clash with Sho's new schedule, and was understandably frazzled. "What?" She said.

"How long has it been on?" The musician pressed.

"Um…I think the director said that the third episode is airing this week. Why?"

"So I probably haven't seen it, then…" He mused.

"Sho, what are you talking about?" Shoko asked, confused.

He scratched his head thoughtfully. "That actress…the one playing the main bully? I keep getting this weird feeling I've seen her somewhere. So I thought maybe I'd watched the show before without realizing it or something."

"Well, maybe she's been in something else you've seen," she said. "What was her name again?"

"Natsu, apparently."

"But…isn't that the character name?" Shoko pointed out. She'd finally had a chance to flip through the script earlier, and the kiss scene was fresh in her mind. She pulled the packet out of her tote and flipped to a dog-eared page. "See? It says it right here."

"Huh," he said.

"I doubt that's her real name," Shoko said. "You probably misunderstood."

"Everybody else calls her Natsu, too, though," Sho said with a shrug. "Maybe it's just something she does to 'stay in character' or whatever. You know how weird actors can be. Either way, I don't really care. It's not like I need to know her name."

"Really? I thought you were interested in her." She looked at him oddly. "You've been talking to her every chance you get, after all."

"Yeah, 'cause it's hilarious," he said, tossing her a lazy grin that made the make-up artist 'tsk' when the brush was jostled.

"Stay still," she ordered irritably, dabbing at the foundation that had escaped its boundaries. He rolled his eyes, but complied.

"I mean," he continued as if the woman was no longer there, "she obviously has a thing for me. She watches me every chance she gets, whenever she thinks I'm not looking. Like now, for instance," he said, with the tiniest jerk of his head in Kyoko's direction. Shoko glanced over at the seemingly aloof girl and was surprised to see her gaze locked intently on Sho, just as he'd said. When she noticed Shoko looking, though, her eyes darted away to rest on something else.

For her part, the make-up artist practically growled and grabbed his head between her hands, stabilizing it. "I'm doing your eyes next, so if you don't want to lose one of them you'd better stop moving," she advised with a dangerous undertone.

"So?" Shoko said finally. "You have plenty of fangirls who stare at you non-stop. In fact, you've told me how annoying it is. What makes her so interesting?"

"She's more my type than them, for one," he said simply. "She's mature, knows how to dress, doesn't get overexcited. And none of this little-girl nonsense like talking about herself in the third person," alluding to Rumi's childish way of speaking, which was obviously meant to be cute but mostly just got on his nerves. "Hell, even the way she walks is kind of sexy."

"But mostly it's the fact that, even though she's so clearly into me, she doesn't want to admit it." He explained. "I go over there to talk to her, maybe have a little fun, and she plays it cool. Like she doesn't care if I'm here or not."

_So she's a tsundere? _Thought Shoko. "And?"

"And it's been a long time since a girl has resisted my charms, let alone outright rejected me." A certain young woman's face popped into his head, but he shook away the thought before he could dwell on any similarities. "But now, I think I might actually have found a way to have some fun with this acting thing. I mean, it's not like the work's challenging at all," he laughed, while the make-up artist glared at him. "Why anybody thinks it's hard to play pretend all day is beyond me."

"You're done," the woman said tersely, whipping off the smock he had on to protect his clothes. He stood up without so much as a thank-you and continued his conversation with Shoko.

"So I asked the director if he could leave the kissing scene till later," he said, smirking. "Give me some time to work. By the time the last day rolls around, I'll have her begging me to kiss her."

* * *

She _had_ played up her worries too much. The director had decided to leave the kissing scene until later in the week so that she would "have time to prepare herself." This is exactly what she'd been trying to avoid with the emergency weekend lessons—having to admit that she wasn't ready for a something the role required. She'd even told the director she was fine, but he just gave her this infuriatingly sympathetic smile and told her it was "no trouble."

_Dammit_. It was one thing when she'd spent the whole weekend dreading the kiss, and another when every moment wasted before that scene made it that much more likely that he'd figure her identity out. She'd spent the entire day so far on edge, watching his every move for some sign that a crewmember had slipped and said her real name, or that he'd somehow figured it out. The whole thing was exhausting. And while she wasn't the principal character in any of today's scenes, she was meant to be visible in the background of many of them, reacting to the budding relationship, so she couldn't even leave early to reduce the risk of exposure.

Worst of all, that jackass came over and talked to her every chance got. For some reason, he'd got it into his head that she was a fan of his, and now he wouldn't leave her alone. Every time she tried brushing him off, he just seemed to take it as an invitation.

They'd call cut, and seconds later he'd be next to her, asking "when she'd started acting" and "if she had any tips for a newbie like him…because he'd love to have her tutor him." She ignored him for the most part, or told him to get back to his mark. It was actually out of character for Natsu, who was begging to be let loose on this arrogant newcomer, but as the whole point of this exercise was to avoid fights, Kyoko had been forcing her to hold back. Maybe if she were ruder, he'd back off, but she'd end up causing everyone else trouble, and she definitely didn't want that.

Trying to keep an eye on him and keep her own character under control was more than she'd bargained for, though, and that combined with her lack of sleep made the whole ordeal about ten times more exhausting than a normal day of shooting.

"Kyouko-san?" Chiori ventured at one point. She turned her head so fast to glare at her fellow LoveMe girl that she was sure she'd given herself whiplash.

"Sorry, sorry…Natsu-san," she corrected herself. "Are you okay? You seem really tired today."

"It's just that the schedule's so hectic," Kyoko said. "I have a show I have to tape after this, and we have to deal with a new actor and all. But I'm fine."

"It's going much faster than I expected," Chiori said cheerfully. "He's actually not terrible at this, for all that he's a complete amateur."

Having watched him act, Kyoko was forced to grudgingly agree with her. Shotaro was actually doing a decent job. He knew his lines, took direction with minimal whining, and after a few slight issues with the unnatural positioning needed to show the actors' faces at all times, he seemed to be handling the blocking pretty well.

It didn't hurt that the character he was playing was one he was familiar with. Even the director couldn't have known how right he'd been when he said Sho wouldn't need to act; as Sagara, he was acting the way he'd done almost his entire school career, using the mature, cool image he'd started cultivating back in the third grade. The way he'd flash a smile at any girl who admired him. The way he'd never show too much emotion and just be passively pleasant. The way he'd speak in short, vague sentences that made him seem to be saying something meaningful without actually revealing anything about him. It kept giving her unpleasant junior high flashbacks. She knew that in-universe, Sagara was meant to be a sincerely nice guy, but she couldn't help wanting to warn Chitose that she was being tricked.

She shook off those thoughts and responded to the waiting Chiori, "Yeah, he's doing pretty well, I guess." She kept her tone carefully neutral.

"Of course, it's not like the character is really all that complex," Chiori continued, disdain creeping into her voice. "All he has to do is play the stereotypical nice sempai and pick up a few books, toss in a charming smile. But he's doing well," she said, adopting a tone of magnanimity.

She glanced over at her sempai, as if hoping to see some kind of response from her on the subject, but Kyoko just nodded. Although his name would be mentioned in the episodes leading up to this one, accompanied by a well-placed blush on Chitose's part, Sagara-sempai would only actually appear in the finale, making him a one-episode love interest and about as shallow a character as ever existed in a drama.

"He'll probably be praised for it, too." Her coworker plowed ahead. "Everyone will talk about how wonderful an actor he is, even though he hasn't put in a fraction of the work that we have." It was obvious now that she was trying to provoke Kyoko into some kind of outburst, but for the most part, Chiori had managed to make herself angry.

"And he'll probably start bragging about easily it all came to him. Like acting isn't anything difficult at all, when all he did was play some empty character—who, by the way, isn't even really a character."

"Amamiya-san, maybe you should calm d—"

"You know what he is? He's…Princess Rosa!" She declared.

"What?" Kyoko asked, bewildered.

"No, see, listen," Chiori said quickly. "What I mean is, he's just a plot point. There's no background story, no real personality, just this guy who gets stolen from Chitose to move the story along. Which is great for an amateur like Fuwa Sho, since no one will care if his acting doesn't have any depth! It…sucks." She said finally, slumping over with a sigh. She glanced over at Kyoko to see if her rant had had any effect, but the girl retained her impassive mask.

On the inside, of course, her demons were seething. Chiori was right; Shotaro had lucked into a completely two-dimensional character, and now he could claim acting as one of his skills. And he would, too. He'd probably try to compare himself with Tsuruga-san on top of everything else—as if they were even on the same planet in terms of skill!

But any show of these emotions would just increase the risk of being found out, and so she kept them bottled up. She was glad, though, that Chiori hadn't been charmed by the likes of Shotaro, and she resolved to invite her out for ice cream sometime as a thanks for saying all the things she couldn't.

"Well, it looks like I'm needed on set," Chiori said, sighing at yet another failure to unravel the mystery. "I have to go spy on the lovebirds for a while."

It would probably be another 20 minutes before she would be called back, Kyoko realized. And with Shotaro occupied with filming, she shouldn't have to worry about any slip-ups. The tension drained out of her for the first time since he showed up, and she felt her lids grow heavier…

_She couldn't remember how they'd ended up on the couch, but she was glad for it. At some point, she felt as if the bones in her legs had melted away, and she wasn't sure how long she could manage to stay upright. _

_ He'd sat down first, tugging her along with him—she knew that much, mostly because she was practically sitting on top of him. It wasn't like with Setsu, straddling his torso, but more like she was in his lap, with her thighs hugging his hips. She felt the warmth of his breath against her neck and shuddered. _

_He was looking at her, eyes dark and full of…something she didn't quite want to identify—_the Emperor of the Night_, she thought to herself. That look should have sent her screaming, made her freeze in place, made her do something to stop what would happen next for the sake of protecting her heart._

_But this was necessary, she reminded herself. For…she couldn't remember why she needed to do this so badly, she realized. She just knew that Ren was looking at her, waiting for her to kiss him, prompting her wordlessly to continue, and so she moved in closer, vaguely registering that his hands had fallen to her hips, and with the smoothness of practice, captured his lips with her own. Their tongues met, and a tiny moan escaped unbidden from her throat. The sound seemed to urge him on, and he hungrily pressed her body closer to his own. A feeling of warmth washed over her whole body, radiating from each point of contact and driving away any and all thoughts of what she should or shouldn't do._

_Suddenly, he grasped her by the wrists, and gently but firmly pushed her off of his lap. She sat there, dazed for a moment. Had she done something wrong?_

"_I think…you have the basics down," he said with a tone of finality._

She jerked herself awake. _Dammit, dammit, dammit!_ She thought. She knew she shouldn't be allowing herself to sleep. Now the images were swimming around in her head almost as clearly as when they were fresh in her mind the night of the lessons, the last thing she needed when trying to stay as emotionless as possible.

Looking around, she hoped that no one had noticed her sleeping—or guessed at the contents of her dream. When she confirmed that no one seemed to be looking at her, she surreptitiously checked for drool, straightened her hair and clothes, and forced herself to focus on the scene that was playing out in front of her.

Chitose had tripped (with a little help from Yumika) and accidentally knocked into Sagara-sempai, spilling a can of juice on him. She was apologizing for being clumsy when Sagara smiled smoothly and said, "It's okay. I'm just glad I was here to catch you. Besides, I think a little clumsiness is cute."

Chitose blushed radiantly, and Kyoko found herself thinking, _Chiori's right. He _is _Princess Rosa._

* * *

As she packed up her things, getting ready to go Bridge Rock, she heard footsteps in the hallway behind her.

"Hello again," came that annoyingly familiar voice, now with an added tone of flirtation that was gradually becoming almost as familiar.

She froze, then realized that she'd forgotten to change the nameplate on her dressing room door, which read KYOUKO for all the world to see. She turned quickly, hiding the sign behind her back as she thought about how to get the paper out without him noticing.

"Can I help you?" She asked languidly. "I'm on my way out."

Sho was back in his rocker getup. He leaned against the wall behind him in a cross-legged slouch he was convinced made him look irresistible—she knew because he'd practiced it a million times over when they were still living together.

"If you're not too busy, I was thinking about giving you those pointers I mentioned earlier."

"Pointers," she said vaguely, as if she couldn't quite recall what he was talking about.

"For the kiss scene, remember?" He said. "You may be my sempai in all things acting, but I'm pretty sure I have a leg up in the kissing department."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" She asked. _Maybe if I hear him out he'll leave sooner. _

"Well," he'd licked his lower lip slowly. "I _am_ a singer—being skilled with my mouth is kind of a requirement."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes…and lost. "Uh-huh."

He just smiled. "Oh, you'll see. If you come with me, I mean." He uncrossed his legs and walked over to stand directly in front of her, one arm propped against the door above her head. She didn't dare move now, not when he was so close to seeing _that._ Her hand snaked up behind her, trying to somehow pull the damn thing out.

While she was distracted he'd invaded her space even further. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear, traced the contour of her cheek with a slim finger, and let it rest just under her chin, tipping her head up to look him directly in the eye.

"So what do you say?" he asked.

"I'm busy," she said in a flat tone of voice, as if his closeness didn't affect her at all. Inside Kyoko was completely flustered. She had no idea why Shotaro was suddenly showing this kind of interest in her. She knew from experience that she lacked two very important attributes that would usually draw his attention, and while the magic of make-up was in full force, it couldn't change _that_. Besides, she'd thought, once again touching the space where Princess Rosa should be, without the help of the necklace only the pure of heart should find her more appealing than usual, and he definitely didn't fall into that category.

Maybe, she'd wondered, it was all a trick, and he'd really already figured out who she was. And after everything he'd laugh and say, "did you really think you were attractive?" or something like that.

Whatever it was, it was driving her crazy. She didn't want him on her show making her job twice as hard, and she sure as hell didn't want him messing with her head like this. Not when it was already so muddled thanks to a certain actor. Something had to be done—but first:

With a tiny jerk she finally slid the paper sign out of its proper place and stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice, because he just said, "Come on," then pressed his lips to the shell of her ear and whispered,

"I could teach you _everything_."

Even if it weren't for the worldly knowledge that was somehow stored exclusively in Natsu's brain, Kyoko would have recognized the implications of that phrase. And it pissed her off. What kind of a girl did this bastard think she was, anyway?

So, she did it. Against her better judgment, she let Natsu have a free rein.

The girl smiled sensually, lips slightly parted, eyes softening. She grasped his hand in her own, then pulled him closer, letting the warmth of her breath play out across his neck. He seemed startled, but only for a moment, before a triumphant grin spread across his face. Natsu mirrored his expression and splayed one hand flat against his chest. Suddenly, she fisted her hand in the front of his shirt and pushed him up against the wall, sliding one leg in between his in a move that was at once intimate and threatening. She jerked his head closer, not bothering to make the movement smooth, and, cocking her head to one side, bit his ear sharply.

He let out a yelp mostly of pain, but a small note of pleasure crept in, too, as much to his surprise as to anyone else's. "W-what?" He managed to say, trying to push Natsu away so he could look her in the eyes, but she held fast, her knee pressing dangerously close to the place where his legs split. "Why did you—?"

This time, it was her whispering into his ear. "Little boy, don't you dare presume to be able to teach me anything," she said. "I eat immature brats like you for breakfast."

And with that, she slammed him back against the wall, unclenching her hand from his shirt and disentangling herself from him.

"See you tomorrow," she said sweetly, leaving a confused and—if her eyes weren't deceiving her—blushing Shotaro standing there, mouth agape.

**A/N: Спасибо за чтение!** **:P **


	10. Chapter 10

Mogami Kyoko's thigh muscles screamed at her as she wobbled into the TBM station. She'd made the trip in record time, pushing harder every time an unwelcome thought crept into her head. As a result, she was nearly 20 minutes early for her next job, which unfortunately, she realized, gave her plenty of time to think.

_What did I do? _What _did I do? WHAT DID I—_

"Kyouko-chan?" She raised her head out of the cradle of her hands to see Ishbiashi Hikaru looking at her with no small amount of concern. "Are you all right?"

Quickly, she pasted a smile on her face and bowed her greeting—this was not something she could discuss with him, after all. She could barely stand to discuss it with herself. If some part of her noticed the surprised flush of pink in her coworker's cheeks, she ignored it.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Just a little tired, is all. I had a busy morning."

"Oh? What happened?" He asked.

She stared at him blankly for a moment, then, pushing aside the image that popped up in response to his question, she managed to keep her tone light as she said, "Oh, just a guest star on set. You know how it is."

"Actually, I don't really," he said with a teasing chuckle, "All I do is work with guests, remember?"

Kyoko crinkled her nose as she realized he was right. "Well, it can be tiring if you're not used to it, I guess," she said defensively. "And this guest was…he…" She couldn't bring herself to elaborate. "It was just a long day on set," she finished lamely.

"Is that why you're still…" he searched for a tactful way to say it, "Natsu-ish?" He avoided looking her in the eye and willed his face to show an expression of polite interest.

"What?" She asked, confused. "Oh!" Although her hair had been somewhat mussed by her trip there, thanks to surprisingly strong hair products, it had for the most part settled back into place in that elegant, sideswept style that Natsu favored. And since she couldn't risk being seen in Kyoko-form anywhere near the Box-R set, she hadn't yet taken off her makeup. Only her clothes were her usual fare. "Uh, yeah," she said. "I was in a hurry, so I didn't have time to go back to normal."

Hikaru looked at her oddly. "But you're really early," he pointed out.

"Right, well, after I left, someone offered me a ride," she explained. "So I guess I didn't need to rush so much after all, huh?" She offered up a sheepish laugh, hoping he'd let the matter drop.

"I guess," he said, smiling kindly. "Shall we head in?" He opened the door to the Bridge Rock studio. "After you."

"Thank you," Kyoko replied, relieved. And now, to work, she thought happily. It was exactly what she needed. If she could just focus on being Bou, she would be fine. She knew it.

* * *

It was a disaster. Being in a giant chicken suit was _hot_. And being the mascot meant there was a lot of waiting for her cue to go on, and very little actual acting. Even though she was on her feet the whole show, she'd fallen asleep three times. Each time, her dreams had gone back to the events of Saturday night. Only now…

_She pulled away from the kiss, head fuzzy and mouth somewhat dry. By now they must be in double-digits, and he still wasn't satisfied. "Mogami-san, it needs to be more natural," he'd said. Whatever that meant. His criticisms got less and less specific as they went along, but she couldn't find the willpower to ask for clarification. _

_ She looked up at him, waiting for the comment that was forthcoming. The eyes she met weren't the deep brown she was accustomed to, though, but a lighter gray color. Shotaro smirked at her, licking his lips. "That was better," he allowed, his gaze traveling the length of her body, his grin widening to wolfish proportions. "But…I think you need a little more practice." He draped an arm over one of her shoulders, put a possessive hand on her waist, and, lowering his face down to her level, huskily said, "I could teach you _everything_."_

_NO!_ She'd thought each time Shotaro invaded her dreams, and it was all she could do to stop herself screaming just that in the middle of the taping. As it was, she was absolutely drenched in sweat and had been told rather pointedly to take the costume to be cleaned.

Kyoko sighed as she trundled down the hallway with the deconstructed chicken suit in a cart. She found herself wishing for the return of the original dreams—at least those weren't nightmares. And at least they didn't keep bringing her mind back to that same question that looped in her mind over and over.

_What did I do?_

She wouldn't feel the slightest bit of shame about hitting Shotaro. Or about strangling him. Or about siccing her inner demons on him and watching him writhe in fear and pain. But this…this was shameful. _I should have known better than to let Nacchan take over,_ she thought. _The_ _girl has no sense of propriety. And the things she thinks of…_

But of course, Natsu only had those thoughts because of Kyoko. That was the problem, really. Kyoko felt as if her purity was being slowly leached away, turning her into somebody else. The kind of girl who thinks about kissing her sempai all day, who knows exactly how to toy with an annoying flirt, and who has inappropriate dreams at the drop of a hat… _I'm becoming a pervert,_ she realized.

_And it's all Shotaro's fault! _ She wailed inside her head.

If he hadn't forced his way onto her show, she'd never have had to ask Tsuruga-san for kissing lessons, and that man wouldn't be occupying her thoughts at every moment, waking or sleeping. And if he'd just recognized her off the bat, she wouldn't have to go such lengths to keep her identity hidden! With all the stress of preserving her anonymity, she'd had half a mind to just tell him and get it over with, but after that encounter…it would be humiliating.

She turned down that familiar hallway where she'd met Ren in her guise as Bou twice in the past and had to do a double-take. There was her sempai, in all his long-limbed glory, sitting in that very same spot. Luckily for her, he had his head in his hands, and she was able to back the cart around the corner before he had a chance to see her.

Kyoko was contemplating alternate routes to get to the laundry room—she really should delete this hallway from her repertoire, she knew—when the image of Ren, head bowed in despair, assaulted her mind's eye. She couldn't just leave him like that! He could need her help! Or, rather, the chicken's help.

Pulling the cart back to a safe distance from the hallway in case he came around the corner, she changed back into the sweat-scented costume as speedily as possible. It was a lengthy process, and she half-expected him to be gone by the time she got back. But no, there he was, just sitting there, a dark cloud hanging over him.

"Hell—" she started to say, then coughed, and this time pitched her voice lower to sound more masculine. "Hello, Tsuruga-kun," she said jovially.

Ren looked up at her, and two things registered: one, even with the less-than-perfect vision of a person in a giant mascot costume, she could see that he had concealer under his eyes—the skin was whiter even than it usually was—and two, she really wanted to kiss him. It was this weird, overwhelming desire that struck her all of a sudden, made even more ridiculous by the fact that, in her current form, she was both male and lipless.

And that, in a nutshell, was what bothered Kyoko so much in the aftermath of the kissing lessons. She'd enjoyed kissing Tsuruga Ren. She hadn't wanted to stop, and when they did, it had been completely without warning. There was no closure. She'd had the last kiss she'd probably ever get from the man she loved, and she hadn't known that it _was_ her last. _Maybe_, she thought, _if I just had one more…_

But what was she thinking? The actress realized. If she loved him half as much as she thought she did, the last thing she should be thinking about when he looked exhausted is what she wanted. She shoved her selfish thoughts away and turned her attention back to the beleaguered actor.

To her rather unpleasant surprise, he was beaming at her.

"I hoped I'd run into you today," he said, smile devastatingly sparkly. "Please, sit with me."

Dubious, she obeyed. What was going on?

"I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?" Ren asked, the picture of consideration.

"Uh, no," she said. "I'm done for the day."

"Then, if you don't mind, could we talk for a bit?" He asked. "For some reason, I can speak openly with you, and I need some advice."

"Advice?" She echoed. "About what?"

"Love," he said simply.

* * *

**A/N: That's all, folks! Sorry once again for the longer waiting period. And considering how wonderful you all were about reviewing—THANK YOU!—I can't even pretend to blame it on a lack of feedback. I've settled in a bit better where I am now, so with any luck I'll be able to hit it once a week, but I can't make any promises. ****Я**** надеюсь, что вам понравилась эта глава! J'espère que je vous ai fait sourire!**

**...adiós!**


	11. Chapter 11

"Love?" Kyoko repeated, her voice jumping up an octave. Ren's strange look brought her back to herself and she faked a cough, giving her a chance to quiet the sudden surge in her heartbeat. "Ahem. Sorry, must have something in my throat," she said, making her voice low and even once more. "Are you sure I'm the person you should ask about this?" The last thing she wanted was to hear more stories of him and another girl.

"You're the best possible choice," he insisted. "After all, you're the one who helped me figure out my own feelings in the first place. If it weren't for you, I might never have realized what Mo—what that girl means to me."

Kyoko felt a sharp, prickling sensation in the vicinity of her chest, as if she'd just been stabbed. Glad for the security that wearing a chicken head afforded her, and managing to at least keep her voice steady, she ventured, "So it is love, then?"

"Definitely." _Stab_. "It's exactly like you said—every time I look at her, I just can't help but think how adorable she is." _Stab_. "And when she's happy, it's like my whole world lights up," he said, an almost beatific smile spread across his face. _Stab_.

"I'm…glad that everything worked out," she managed, shielding her eyes with one wing. "But I don't really see where I come in. If the two of you are happy together, then…"

"Hm? Oh, we're not together." Ren corrected quickly, with a small, wistful smile. "I haven't even told her how I feel yet."

"But—" she found herself blurting out, "it's been almost six months since then!"

He raised an eyebrow at his chicken-suited comrade. "She's still in high school, remember, and seventeen isn't really much better than sixteen."

"Well, yeah," Kyoko admitted, "but do you really need to wait until she's legal just to tell her you like her?" _I mean, the age of consent only really matters if he wants to…_With a squawk, she shook her head so violently that she managed to turn the suit's head around a full 180 degrees and was surprised to find herself in complete darkness when she opened her eyes.

"Um…are you all right?" The actor asked her from somewhere beyond the gloom. "Do you need help with—" She could sense his hands reaching toward her and jerked back to avoid them, managing to slam her head into the wall behind her. The beak softened the blow somewhat, but not enough to keep a number of stars from twinkling brightly in her vision.

"I'm fine," she assured the now bewildered Ren quickly, blinking away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, and, with her clumsy cloth-covered hands managed to locate her beak and return it to its proper place with a sharp twist. Light of a more natural variety peeked in through the eyeholes, and she turned to face Ren again. "I was thinking, and something…unpleasant came to mind." She said, with a wave of her hand. _It seems, _she mused, _there are unfortunate side effects from spending a day in Natsu's headspace. _After all, Mogami Kyoko's mind would never wander in _that_ direction all on its own, right? "What were we talking about again?"

He looked at her oddly, the concern for her well-being clear on his face, but shrugged and continued. "We were talking about the age gap issue," he said. "But the problem isn't just that I'm older than she is. That's actually what I need to talk to you about." He ran a hand through his hair, and with a small flush in his cheeks, half-muttered, "This _is_ my _first_ love," before clearing his throat and adding, "and there are things—feelings I haven't really had to deal with before. And since you're kind of my 'sempai' in this, I thought you'd be able to give me some advice."

Somewhat shocked at being called a sempai by Tsuruga Ren of all people, she prompted, "What feelings, exactly?"

"Well, this girl…without going into too much intimate detail," he said, leery of saying too much about Mogami-san's personal affairs to a man whose name he didn't even know, "she got out of a bad relationship not long ago. You might even call it abusive. And the breakup did a number on her—she's basically sworn off romance."

Kyoko felt an unwelcome surge of sympathy for this mystery girl. Though she and Shotaro had never actually dated, she could certainly understand how one especially cruel guy could sour the idea of love for someone. "Okay, so you don't want to rush her." But it was Ren. Ren! There's no way she'd be able to resist.

He nodded. "And I've been approaching her as gently as possible, trying to show her I care for her without pressuring her into anything, but…well, it's her ex. He keeps worming his way back into her life at every turn."

_Wow, I have more in common with this girl than I thought! _Kyoko marveled. "Jerks like him usually do," she said irritably. "They think they can do whatever they want to you. That they own you."

Ren blinked, surprised. "Exactly...The thing is, I know she can't stand him. But it doesn't stop me from feeling hopeless whenever he comes back into the picture. He can catch her attention like nobody else can and make her act completely on impulse. With me, she's always on her guard, and no matter what I do she's completely oblivious to how I feel about her."

"Maybe she's on her guard because she knows and she's not sure how to handle it," Kyoko suggested gently. "I mean, for her not to notice after six months—she'd have to be pretty oblivious."

He sighed. "I've thought of that, but…well, recent events have made it pretty clear she doesn't think of me as a romantic possibility." _Or even as a man,_ he thought.

The prickling in her chest eased a little bit, and she restrained the sudden upturn of her lips, even knowing he couldn't possibly see it. It wasn't right to be happy over his romantic misadventures, she knew. Still…

"The problem is, I can tell myself a million times over not to move too quickly or push too hard, but when _he_ shows up I just…" He clenched a fist, grimacing. "Before, when a woman told me she was interested in someone else, I could tell her to do whatever would make her happy with a smile. I thought I was so incredibly mature. But when this girl even mentions that bastard, I get so angry I want to make her promise never to see him again. I know that I don't have the right—she's not the one trying to see him in the first place, and the two of us are just colleagues, nothing more."

"That's what love is like," Kyoko said with a shrug. "It's not just the giddy feeling you get when you look at that person. It's the stupid, irrational feeling of betrayal you get whenever they talk about another gir—guy," she corrected quickly, "or that overwhelming urge to do something whenever they're close enough to touch." His eyes locked with hers, widening as her words seemed to resonate with something within him, and she felt that selfsame desire wash over her. She turned away, staring instead at the blank studio wall opposite them, and focused on the still-throbbing pain in the back of her head. She'd probably have a bump to deal with tomorrow.

"So what do you do? How do you control it?" He asked. "I haven't been able to so far, and I think I may have done something I can't take back."

"Like what?" She asked, still avoiding his gaze.

"It's difficult to explain." Ren said slowly. "This guy…he's in love with her even now. But the way his mind works…he tells her she's ugly so she won't realize how attracted to her he really is, tells her no guy could want her so she won't date someone else, and makes her miserable every chance he gets so all she can think about is him. Whenever they're together, all he does is belittle her. So when she asked me to help her with something to do with him, I wanted to make sure there was nothing he could fault her for."

He looked over at Bou, surprised to see the chicken's unmoving face trained on his own once again. The rooster's head was tilted every so slightly to the side, as if he were trying to puzzle something out. He seemed to realize that Ren was waiting for a response and gave a quick, encouraging nod.

"Anyway, that's what I told myself," Ren said. "Really, I just wanted to do something with her before he could and…I don't know, sort of make sure her mind was on me instead of him. I was trying so hard to make the experience memorable, that I forgot to hold back." He was making his account of the past weekend's events as vague as possible, and he was acutely aware that it was sounding more and more suspicious. He could only guess at what explanations his feathered friend was thinking up.

But once again, his mind seemed to be somewhere else. It took a long moment before he noticed that Ren had stopped talking, and finally he said, "You're an excellent actor."

"Excuse me?"

"What I mean to say is, you're skilled at concealing your feelings. More than most people, and most people are sure that everyone can tell how they feel, from the way they blush and stammer to the way their hearts pound too loudly. The truth is, most people don't notice when a normal person is in love." Kyoko explained. "But you're a good actor. One of the best, if not _the_ best, in Japan. If you don't want her to know, and she hasn't caught on in the past six months, she probably hasn't figured it out. Some people just can't tell when the person who's in love with them is staring right at them," and before she could stop it, the note of bitterness had crept into her voice. He didn't notice, of course.

"Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it," she continued with a forcedly cheerful tone. "And as for jealousy…it's just a part of love. You should do your best to keep it from controlling you, but chances are it's gonna be there for as long as you're in love with this girl."

"That's it?" Ren asked, slightly put out.

"What can I say?" She shrugged. "I may have more experience with love, but that doesn't mean I'm any good at it. Maybe you should ask someone else."

Ren thought of his other options and shook his head. "If there was anyone else I could ask…but the only sane person I can think of besides you is my manager, and he's just too…"

"Squealy?" She offered.

"Yeah," he said absentmindedly. "Besides, you're pretty much my only non-work friend."

"Really?" Came the astounded reply. "That's…nice," the girl tacked on quickly. Even through the costume, though, Ren could tell that the chicken was pitying him. He scowled, looked at his watch, and declared that he should get going. He was not so irritated that he forgot to give his friend a heartfelt "thanks for listening" as he left, though.

As soon as she saw the tall actor round the corner, she slumped back in a heap. Worn out as she was, the conspicuous scent of sweat in her nostrils reminded her of her mission, and she forced herself back onto her feet, and went to locate the cart she needed to take her costume to the studio laundry.

* * *

"So, how was it?" Kanae's asked, her voice made somewhat tinny by the cell phone.

"How was what?" Kyoko asked, so tired she could hardly think straight. She wanted very badly to go to bed, but she could never turn down an opportunity to talk to her best friend.

"You know, the first day with Fuwa. Have you kissed him yet?"

"No," she said with a sigh. "Unfortunately."

"What? What do you mean?" Kanae demanded. "You _want_ to kiss that jackass?"

"No, but I'd really like to get it over with," she explained. "I've spent the whole day being everybody but Kyoko and it's a little…absolutely exhausting."

Obviously, this did little to clear up Kanae's confusion, because she responded with total silence, followed by a "Huh?"

"Although, now that you mention it," Kyoko said slowly, mind going back to the conversation she'd had with Ren earlier, "I think…I think Shotaro might want to kiss me."

"Huh?!"

* * *

**A/N: 'Lo again. This episode was longer, as per some of your request. The rest of you mostly just said you wanted more, (which made me feel both incredibly happy and incredibly guilty), so there's that taken care of, too. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, alerted and read! Я вас люблю, и я могу это сказать прямо. Я не такая, какие Рен и Киоко. :P J'adore le chocolat aussi, mais ça, c'est un sentiment un peu différent, je pense. (Je sais, cette phrase n'a pas de sens sans la partie en russe. Mais Google es très facile à utiliser, n'est-ce pas?)  
**


	12. Chapter 12

"Okay, you're going to need to back up for a moment," Kanae said. "You're not making a whole lot of sense."

"I think Shotaro might be…attracted…to me," Kyoko squeezed out with some difficulty.

_YOU THINK?! _She wanted to scream at her oblivious friend. _He forces a kiss on you, keeps tabs on you, and warns you away from other guys…Mo! This girl!_ At the same time, she felt a strange, irrational burst of joy, complete with the sudden appearance of a smile on her face. Thank god they were only talking over the phone. _It's not that I care about her self-esteem or anything, _she rationalized, _it's just that her ridiculous modesty has gotten old. _

"Moko-san?" She heard her friend ask, confused by her lack of response. "I know it seems arrogant of me to say something like this, but—"

"It's fine!" Kanae snapped irritably. _Don't backslide already! _"So what made you come to this" _painfully obvious _"conclusion?"

"Well…today I was talking to a colleague of mine, someone I really respect," she recounted carefully. "He mentioned that a girl he knew had just gotten out of a toxic relationship, and that even now, her ex-boyfriend is involving himself in her life just so he can put her down, all because he still has feelings for her and can't stand to see her moving on without him."

_Sounds like an example tailor-made for you, _Kanae thought.

"Anyway, even though that bastard and I were never actually together, there are some definite similarities—whenever I see him, he makes a point of insulting my looks or my status…my lack of fame. Which was one thing when it was me trying to sabotage his career, but lately, he's been the one initiating contact," she explained. "What happened on Valentine's Day, for instance, or just a little while back when he called me late at night just to tell me that the way I look with makeup on is deceptive. Him being the one to seek _me_ out…it's something he never would have done when we were still friends. It's like he's deliberately setting aside time in his busy schedule just to bully me, and I'm starting to think there's a deeper reason for it."

"Sounds like he's taking a page out of the Grade-schooler's Guide to Romance," Kanae quipped.

"What do you mean?" Kyoko asked blankly.

"You know, when a little boy likes a little girl, but either doesn't know how to show it or doesn't want to admit it, so he picks on her?" She said. "Pulling pigtails, calling names…one especially annoying brat in the fifth grade actually flipped my skirt." Chuckling, she added, "he didn't like me as much after I punched him in the face."

"Oh…I wouldn't know," her friend responded. "The ones who bullied me were always girls who wanted me to stay away from Shotaro. I hardly ever talked to the boys at school."

_They probably assumed you were taken, _Kanae mused.

"But it's no surprise boys would go after someone like you, Moko-san," she continued cheerfully. "I mean, you're so beaut—"

"SO!" Kanae cut her off, irritated that she was now blushing slightly. "You were saying?"

"Well, it just sounded like this other guy's behavior was a lot like Shotaro's, and I know the last thing Shotaro would want to do is admit that he actually found anything about me appealing." Kyoko said. "Is it really that common?"

"For kids," Kanae said tersely. "For adults it's just pathetic. But that's all it took to convince you?" She asked, surprised. _Usually she'd be denying anything romantic up and down by now. _"Just one similar story and you realized he's in love with you?"

"In—?!" Kyoko yelped. "No, not…I mean, a little bit attracted on a, y'know," she muttered, "physical level, but…there's no way he thinks of me like _that_. I'm not even sure he's capable of that kind of feeling."

Kanae's eyebrows shot straight up. Mogami Kyoko of all people saying someone was only into her for her body—this was a serious breakthrough in terms of awareness as well as confidence, and it came completely out of nowhere. "Okay, so no love connection," she conceded, "but what made you think he was interested in you and not just being a jerk?" A thought occurred to her. "Did he come on to you or something while the two of you were on set together?"

The silence on the other end of the line spoke volumes. "He _did_!" She accused.

"Um…"

"Come on, you said you'd tell me if something like this happened again," Kanae urged. "What happened?"

"Well, he did and he didn't," she sputtered lamely.

"MO!" Came the unamused response.

Kyoko sighed. "He didn't know it was me," she said finally.

"What?" Now Kanae was officially confused.

"Apparently he had no idea I was part of the show when he accepted the role, and he never bothered to look at a cast list. And since I was in full Natsu-mode when he first arrived on set…he couldn't tell it was me. So I've been in character as Natsu all day trying to keep him from figuring it out and dragging out the filming process even more."

"But...you grew up together," Kanae pointed out. "You've known each other your whole lives. How the hell could he not recognize you?"

"Well," Kyoko said, nonchalant, "it's not the first time. When you're as self-centered as he is, I guess you don't pick up on things that aren't directly spelled out for you. He only ever gets a clue when I let slip something I know about him that no one else does…like how bad he is at badminton, or that he hates sweet eggs."

"Uh-huh." _Just how many times has this happened?_ Kanae wondered.

"And obviously, I wasn't going to take any chances, so I tried to talk to him as little as possible. But he kept coming over to chat in between takes, and then, after shooting finally wrapped for the day, he cornered me in front of my dressing room and…" She wasn't sure what to call it. "He said he wanted to practice kissing, and that he could teach me things."

_That reminds me... _Kanae realized. _What ever happened with the "kissing lessons?"  
_

"At first," Kyoko continued without any prompting, "I thought maybe it was a joke, but the way he was so persistent, and the way he approached me and touched me, it was just like…" She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. "Well, let's just say it would take a very good actor to be as convincing as he was, and after watching his performance as Sagara-sempai, it's not hard to tell he was being genuine."

The pause did not go unnoticed by the older actress, who filed it away for later. "So he's into you."

"Well..." she seemed ready to waffle, but finally uttered a firm "yes."

"And you're positive?"

"I wasn't wearing Princess Rosa," Kyoko said simply. "Which means the only thing that could've confused him was makeup, and…the way he was looking me over, it didn't seem like he cared about my face all that much." _Or that he had anything that remotely resembled a pure heart._

"Huh," Kanae said softly. Something was different, she knew. For Kyoko to speak so directly about something that would've made her scream with embarrassment not so long ago…something had changed. The thought made her stomach sink a little, until she realized that part of the girl's foolproof logic was the magical powers of a gem she'd found in a giant rose. Her innocence was not yet gone, it appeared.

Still, she had to wonder what had caused the transformation.

A strange noise sounded in her ear. It took a second to identify it as a yawn.

"Sorry, Moko-san," Kyoko said. "I'm kind of tired. I think I should probably go to bed now." _Please, please, let the dreams be over, _she prayed silently. _I can't keep going like this._

"Okay, but just one more thing before I let you go," Kanae said. "When that jerk made a move on you, what did you do? You must have been pissed off. How did you not let him know who you were?"

"…" Kyoko had turned beet-red from head to toe. "I…um…" she stuttered, "I pinned him to the wall, put my knee against his crotch, bit him on the ear, and then told him to leave me alone."

"Oh." Kanae's voice came out half-strangled as she said, "Well, that's all I wanted to know. Good night."

"'Night," she mumbled back.

The moment Kanae heard the click that told her the other girl had hung up, she collapsed into a fit of giggles. "She—oh my god, I can't even imagine—" When the laughter finally petered out, she was lying down, somewhat winded, on her bed, and staring up at her ceiling fan, idly trying to catch each blade with her eyes as it crossed her line of vision.

When her breathing had slowed to its normal pace, she got up to change into her pajamas and brush her teeth. As she looked into the mirror on her medicine cabinet, her gaze touched on her own ear for all of an instant, and before she could even blink, she had spit her toothbrush onto the floor and was doubled over laughing.

_Well_, she thought, _no one could ever accuse Kyoko of being predictable._

* * *

"Well, it looks like you made it through today. God only knows how." Yashiro said with a sigh as he buckled himself in next to his charge. "I pushed back the morning assignments for tomorrow until just before lunchtime, so try to get some sleep, okay?"

"I told you, I'm fine," Ren insisted. "You don't need to change my schedule." _And the last thing I need right now is free time. All I can think about is the two of them together, and if I don't have something to do, I might end up crashing the studio and trying to stop it.  
_

"With the amount of complaints I heard in the makeup trailer today? Are you kidding?" His manager harrumphed. "No, you're on bed rest until I say otherwise. And you'd better put ice on your eyes while you're at it."

"Anything else, boss?" the actor asked sardonically.

But the older man seemed immune to his snark, and, after looking him over, said, "I think a few eye drops wouldn't hurt, either."

Ren let out a small, exasperated puff of air, but decided to leave it alone, and the two settled into companionable silence. The road slipped away in front of him, and the dashes blurred into one, solid line, and he welcomed the rare moment of peaceful emptiness.

"So…" Yashiro broke into his reverie, with an air of expectation.

"Yes, Yashiro-san?"

"Have you talked to Kyouko-chan yet?"

"You've been right beside me all day," Ren reminded him. "When do you think I had time to call her?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice when you sneaked off during lunch?" He asked with a sly grin. "With the way you were acting distracted all morning, I figured you were trying to clear the air with your favorite kouhai."

"Well, you figured wrong," Ren said with a shrug. "I just needed a minute to think, that's all."

"And miss lunch," his manager accused. "If you're worried about whether or not Kyouko-chan's mad at you, the last thing you should be doing is skipping your meals." His voice dropped a bit, and he added, "All I'd have to do is give her a call, and she'd be on your doorstep to read you the riot act."

"Yashiro-san," Ren said dangerously, a radiant gentlemanly smile in display on his face, "I'd thank you not to interfere in my personal matters. I will talk to Mogami-san in my own time."

"But Ren," Yashiro pouted, "If every time you make the tiniest bit of progress you jump back for fear of what may happen, nothing's ever going to change. I mean, it's no wonder she has no idea how you feel about her, what with you avoiding her like the plague!"

"I'm not avoiding her," he said, chastened. "I'm just trying to give her space."

"Maybe she doesn't want space," Yashiro suggested. "Maybe she wants you to sweep her off her feet, whisk her off to someplace remote and intimate, and give her a real, romantic kiss," he said, eyes sparkling as he envisioned the scene in question. His joy was apparently too much to contain, because he let out an excited cry.

_Ugh, _Ren thought. _This is exactly why I don't talk to him about these things. He's just so…_

_ "Squealy?"_

The chicken's response came floating back from somewhere in his subconscious. He'd accepted it without a second thought when he'd first heard it—it was an apt descriptor, after all—but now that he thought about it, it was a little strange. When describing a manager, that was hardly the first adjective that came to mind. Even more so if he had seen Yashiro before—to the casual observer, Yashiro Yukihito appeared mature and reserved. It would take someone who really knew the man to…

"And really, you can only blame her being obtuse for so much," Yashiro continued ranting. "I mean, if you really want her to know how you feel, stop hinting and just tell her. If you never even try, how can you know—"

"Yashiro-san, do you know the chicken?" He found himself asking suddenly.

"The…chicken?" The manager was more than a little bewildered by the sudden change of topic. "What do you mean?"

"The one at TBM," Ren said.

Yashiro pondered the question, searching his memories for some mention of a chicken at TBM. "Oh!" He realized. "You mean the man in the mascot suit?"

"That's him," The actor confirmed.

"I remember him from the time he visited you in your dressing room," Yashiro said thoughtfully. "And how he seemed kind of strange, because his head didn't really match his body."

"So you've never met him since then?" Ren inquired.

"Not that I can think of," the manager shook his head. "Why?"

"No reason," he said casually.

"Ren—"

"Here we are," the actor said quickly, as they rolled to a stop in front of Yashiro's apartment building. "Have a good night, and I'll see you at 8?"

"No, I told you, we aren't meeting until 11!" Yashiro protested, almost banging his head into the roof of the car while trying to disembark. "And when I see you tomorrow, you had better look every bit the part of a dashing movie star."

"Yes, sir," Ren said with a grin, glad to have successfully distracted him, and even gladder to have something to do.

He had a mystery to solve.

* * *

**A/N: As usual, thank you so very much for all the lovely reviews. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as I hope you enjoy all of the chapters. I do have a question, though; do people still say, "read the riot act?" Sometimes I'll use an expression, like "three sheets to the wind," and I'll find out that other people have no idea what I mean. ****Я сейчас изучаю интересные русские выражения, как "зуб даю," "мокрая курица" и " со всеми потрохами," и я знаю, что они более и менее современные, потому что я их вижу на интернете. Mais j'adore surtout la phrase en français, "j'ai d'autres chats à fouetter," qui est en anglais, "j'ai des poissons plus gros à frire." Eh, mince. J'ai encore écrit une phrase sans beaucoup d'utilité :P  
**


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